“Ho! ho!” shouted the sailor, seizing him by the nose; “old fellow, I have you now!”
Thereon he kicked over the jar of Schiedam, the contents of which he set on fire with his torch; and keeping fast hold of the old Moor’s nose, who in his fright knew not how to resist, dragged him round and round the room, shouting and shrieking all the time like a very demoniac.
The place would have been meantime set on fire had not the captain and I quenched the flames, while the renegade and the interpreter, in their drunken humours, could only lean back on their cushions, and laugh as if they would split their sides at the extraordinary predicament of our host.
“I say, countrymen, if you had but your horses ready, we might gallop away before all these people knew where they are,” shouted Lyal. “Who’ll just take a spell at the old fellow’s nose, for I am tired of holding on?”
On this Captain Gale thought that it was time to interfere, and he and I going up to the old Moor, pretended to use great exertion in dragging away the sailor from him. The captain then led him back to his seat, while I held Lyal.
“Here, Sidy,” said the captain to the interpreter; “tell the old man that if he will give me fifty dollars, I will take that madman off his hands.”
When the old Moor had somewhat recovered his composure, Sidy explained the offer. “He says that he can kill him, and so get him out of his way!” was the answer. “He dare not do that,” put in the renegade; “all the people here will own him as inspired. Abate your price, and stick to it.”
Finally, the captain consented to carry away the madman on having twenty dollars added to the price he was to receive for his goods.
“Take him! take him!” exclaimed the old Moor. “The man who can eat through iron, drive all my slaves before him, set fire to my house, and pull me by the nose, is better away from me than near! Take care, though, that he does not come back again!”
The captain promised that he would take very good care of that; and the next day, with joyful hearts at our unexpected success, we set forward on our return-journey to Salee. As the renegade and Sidy were both to be rewarded according to our success, they were well content; and by their aid, the same night we got on board the brig with our recovered countryman without being observed. We had now to turn the whole of our attention to the recovery of Captain Stenning; and every excuse which Captain Gale could think of was made for our stay in the harbour. Still, we had very little of our cargo left, and every day saw it decrease. The spring-tides were also coming on, when there was the greatest depth of water on the bar, and we could the most easily make our escape without a pilot.