«He's getting the range,» said Blood indifferently.
«Aye,» agreed Trenam with bitter dryness. «We've let you have your way unquestioned, Captain. But what's to be the end?»
«I fancy it's coming yonder under full sail,» said Captain Blood, and he pointed with the telescope.
Round the northern point of Gallows Key came a great red–hulled ship under a mountain of canvas that gleamed like snow in the noontide sunshine. Veering south as she appeared, she swept majestically on before the wind, a thing of beauty and of power, from gilded beak–head to lofty poop–lantern. She was abeam of the Valiant between the brigantine and island, before the dumbfounded Trenam found his voice, and before the voices of the crew were raised to cheer and cheer again.
Pale with excitement, his eyes sparkling, Trenam swung to Captain Blood. «The Arabella!»
Blood smiled upon him quizzically. «To be sure ye supposed I swam here, or crossed the ocean in a canoe; or may be ye thought I wanted to be chased by Easterling just for the fun of running away and the joy of being drowned at the end of it. Ye hadn't thought about these things maybe. Neither, had Easterling. But he's thinking about them now, so he is. Thinking hard, I dare swear.»
But Easterling was doing nothing of the kind. His wits were paralysed. In the madness of despair, seeing himself beset by that formidable ship, which, moreover, had the weather gauge of him, he attempted to run for shelter back to the harbour from which he had been lured. Once there, with the guns of the Hermes to support his own, he might have held the narrow roadstead against all comers. But he should have known that he would never be allowed to reach it. When he ignored the shot athwart his bows, summoning him to strike his colours, a broadside of twenty heavy guns crashed into his exposed flank, and wrought such damage in it that he was bereft of even the satisfaction of replying. The Arabella, well handled by old Wolverstone, who was in command of her, went promptly about, and at still closer range poured in a second broadside to complete the business. Hard hit between wind and water, the Avenger was seen to be settling down by the head.
A sound like a wail arose from the deck of the Valiant. It startled Blood.
«What is it? What do they cry?»
«The treasure!» Trenam answered him. «Morgan's treasure!»