“Teach is dead.”
She started, and shrunk back and stared at me, and instantly reflected the expression she saw in my face. Her features then relaxed, and, slightly shrugging her shoulders, she exclaimed:
“He was not a good man. Yet good men are dying every day. Teach’s time had come. Did we kill him?”
“I don’t think so.”
“That pleases me. I would have killed him for my honor or for my liberty. It is God’s doing, and it must be good.”
I found that Jimmy kept the brig to her course fairly well, and roamed about the deck for awhile by myself, considering how I should act if we did not presently, and, indeed, speedily, fall in with a ship to help us with the loan of two or three men. I then asked Miss Aurora to hold the wheel, and took Jimmy below with me to help clap the bilboes on to Travers, that I might relieve the poor devil of his handcuffs. While I put the bilboes on, Travers asked me why I refused to give him a chance to turn to.
“You’ve had a chance of proving yourself an honest man for weeks past. I’ll not trust you now.”
“Mr. Fielding, we meant to act square by you.”
“Yes, by knocking me over the head when I’d served your turn.”
I sent Jimmy in a hurry for provisions and water to place in this prisoner’s berth. The beast couldn’t read, or I should have tossed him a book or two. I was eager to regain the deck, for her ladyship was on no account to be left alone at the wheel. Travers asked for his pipe and tobacco. I told him he should have them; and then, threatening to shoot him through the head if he made any noise, attempted to break out, or acted in any way to imperil the safety of the ship, I locked him up.