‘I have thought the matter over,’ I said, ‘and accept the men’s terms.’
‘Glad to hear it,’ he answered, with a slow smile breaking sulkily through his surly countenance. ‘If you care about a written hundertaking’——
‘No,’ I interrupted contemptuously; ‘my agreement is based on yours. If you do not hold piously to every article of it, I drop my part.’
He viewed me with his head slightly on one side, but without any appearance of resentment at my peremptory tone. Coarse and unlettered as the fellow was, he had discernment enough to witness what he would regard as sincerity of purpose in my very outspokenness.
‘All you’ve got to do,’ said he, ‘is to carry us to that there island. You do your bit, and you’ll have no occasion to grumble at us for not doing ourn. But—you’ll do it. You onderstand me, Mr. Dugdale? So long as you’re honest, you’ll find us honest.’
The ugly significance he imparted to these words by the look that accompanied them, I could not hope to express. Miss Temple, whose hand was on my arm, shrank at my side. It pleased me that she should have witnessed that look and heard the words, for they would go further to persuade her that the only road to choose in this matter was the one I had taken, than any amount of reasoning on my part.
‘Your threats are perfectly indifferent to me,’ I exclaimed, eyeing him coolly and fixedly. ‘I believe I know your character, and don’t question your capacity to act up again to the part your captain told me you had already played.’
‘What was that?’ he growled, but with no other change of face than such as temper might produce. I seemed to find even in this little thing that the captain had told me a lie when he charged the fellow with murder, and my mind felt easier on a sudden as to a conviction of the truth of a matter less dark than I had dared believe.
‘That is my business,’ I responded, preserving my cool almost contemptuous manner. ‘You need be at no pains to threaten me. You’ll achieve nothing by your forecastle menaces. I have been a sailor in my time and quite know what you and such as you are. If you or any of your mates disappoint me in a single particular of the understanding between us, I will throw this sextant,’ said I, flourishing it under his nose, ‘overboard, and you may grope your way round the Horn as best you can. That agreement is this:’ I elevated my forefinger. ‘First we are to have the exclusive use of this end of the ship; you alone coming aft to stand your watch.’ He nodded. I erected another finger. ‘Next: the captain’s cabin and the one adjoining are to be occupied by this lady and myself.’ He nodded again. I raised a third finger, thrusting it close to his face. ‘Next: Wilkins continues to wait upon us as heretofore; we are to be fed with care and punctuality; it is distinctly to be understood—and this you will see to—that no liquor aboard is broached outside a tot or two per man per day; for,’ said I, speaking with the most emphatic deliberateness I could contrive, ‘if there should be a single exhibition of drunkenness amongst the crew, I shall pitch this sextant overboard.’
‘I’ve got nothen to say agin that,’ he exclaimed, speaking with something of sullen respect, as though impressed by my energy and language.