"I can't attend to your case just now, my man," replied the captain.
But Gray persisted in being heard before anything was done, and three seamen were called into the cabin. The Scotchman was released from the divan, and the sailors were ordered to take him to the forecastle, and be sure that he did not escape.
"Now I can give you a quiet hearing, Sir Louis, and you may tell me the whole story of your cruise on the bay," said the commander, as he and Louis seated themselves on the divan.
The young knight-errant proceeded to give the narrative in all its details. While he was doing so, Mr. Boulong required his men to haul the Golondrina alongside the steamer by the tow-line; and by this time they had nearly succeeded in doing so. The officer was on the point of going on board of her when Felix interposed.
"These men are all armed with knives, and they will stick you with no more conscience than an alligator would bite your head off," said he.
"I will take my chances, Felix," replied Mr. Boulong.
"I'll go along wid ye's to protict ye's, for I have a bit of a revolver," added the Milesian.
"Don't meddle with the matter, my lad, till I ask you do so, if you please," said the first officer, laughing. "I don't want you to kill a man, and then charge it to me. I have been among this sort of fellows, and I am not particularly alarmed about his toothpick."
He was attended by a couple of seamen, who were sent aft to take charge of Lucio. Felix kept near Mr. Boulong, but he found no occasion to use his revolver. Mr. Gaskette, the second officer, who spoke Spanish fluently, had been sent for, and he had been talking with the prisoners in the pilot-house. Captain Velazquez, somewhat to the astonishment of Felix, did not show fight as the first officer approached him. He was not a fool, and he could see that in the face of a dozen men resistance was useless.
The captain submitted to have his hands tied behind him, and then his knife, which was a wicked-looking implement, was taken from him. Lucio was served in the same manner, and both of them marched on board of the Salihé, where the whole five of them were placed under a guard of seamen on the forecastle.