"What is your name?" asked the old man.
"My name is Halmalo, but I can kill you all the same, whether you know my name or not."
Just then the sun rose; a ray struck the sailor full in the face, vividly illumining that wild countenance.
The old man studied it closely. The cannonading, though not yet ended, was no longer continuous. A dense smoke had settled upon the horizon. The boat, left to itself, was drifting to leeward.
With his right hand the sailor seized one of the pistols at his belt, while in his left he held his rosary.
The old man rose to his feet.
"Do you believe in God?" he asked.
"'Our Father who art in heaven.'" replied the sailor.
Then he made the sign of the cross.
"Have you a mother?"