Part 9 (2/2)
A dozen of his felloere astir on the forecastle, looking eagerly ahead, and the sound of their voices and laughter reached hias
”There,” said a soft voice behind him in liquid Spanish, ”is the Pro in that voice, a muffled note of exultation, that awoke suspicion in hi He turned sharply to face Don Diego, so sharply that the sly smile was not effaced from the Spaniard's countenance before Captain Blood's eyes had flashed upon it
”You find an odd satisfaction in the sight of it - all things considered,” said Mr Blood
”Of course” The Spaniard rubbed his hands, and Mr Blood observed that they were unsteady ”The satisfaction of a mariner”
”Or of a traitor - which?” Blood asked him quietly And as the Spaniard fell back before him with suddenly altered countenance that confir an arm out in the direction of the distant shore ”What land is that?” he demanded ”Will you have the effrontery to tell me that is the coast of Curacao?”
He advanced upon Don Diego suddenly, and Don Diego, step by step, fell back ”Shall I tell you what land it is? Shall I?” His fierce assue seeo made no answer And then Captain Blood drew a bow at a venture - or not quite at a venture Such a coast-line as that, if not of theto either Cuba or Hispaniola Noing Cuba to lie farther north and west of the two, it followed, he reasoned swiftly, that if Don Diego meant betrayal he would steer for the nearer of these Spanish territories ”That land, you treacherous, forsworn Spanish dog, is the island of Hispaniola”
Having said it, he closely watched the swarthy face now overspread with pallor, to see the truth or falsehood of his guess reflected there But now the retreating Spaniard had come to the middle of the quarter-deck, where the mizzen sail lish sles! You know toofor the Captain's throat
Tight-locked in each other's arether went down upon the deck, the Spaniard's feet jerked fro of Captain Blood The Spaniard had depended upon his strength, which was considerable But it proved no match for the steady muscles of the Irishman, tempered of late by the vicissitudes of slavery He had depended upon choking the life out of Blood, and so gaining the half-hour thatup that fine shi+p that was beating towards them - a Spanish shi+p, perforce, since none other would be so boldly cruising in these Spanish waters off Hispaniola But all that Don Diego had accomplished was to betray himself completely, and to no purpose This he realized when he found hi on his chest, whilst theup the companion
”Will I say a prayer for your dirty soul nohilst I a hih defeated, now beyond hope for hiave back mockery for mockery
”Who will pray for your soul, I wonder, when that galleon coalleon!” echoed Captain Blood with sudden and awful realization that already it was too late to avoid the consequences of Don Diego's betrayal of theo repeated, and added with a deepening sneer: ”Do you knohat shi+p it is? I will tell you It is the Encarnacion, the flagshi+p of Don Miguel de Espinosa, the Lord Aduel is hty, you see, watches over the destinies of Catholic Spain”
There was no trace of huht eyes blazed: his face was set
He rose, relinquishi+ng the Spaniard to his men ”Make him fast,” he bade them ”Truss him, wrist and heel, but don't hurt him - not so much as a hair of his precious head”
The injunction was very necessary Frenzied by the thought that they were likely to exchange the slavery from which they had so lately escaped for a slavery still worse, they would have torn the Spaniard limb from limb upon the spot And if they now obeyed their Captain and refrained, it was only because the sudden steely note in his voice pro far more exquisite than death
”You scum! You dirty pirate! You man of honour!” Captain Blood apostrophized his prisoner
But Don Diego looked up at hilish, so that all ht hear ”I tell you that I was not fear death, and I show you that I was not fear it You no understand You just an English dog”
”Irish, if you please,” Captain Blood corrected hiive my parole to leave you sons of filth with this beautiful Spanish shi+p, to go hed in his throat ”You fool! You can kill me Pish!+ It is very well I die with my ell done In less than an hour you will be the prisoners of Spain, and the Cinco Llagas will go belong to Spain again”
Captain Blood regarded him steadily out of a face which, if impassive, had paled under its deep tan About the prisoner, claed, almost literally ”athirst for his blood”
”Wait,” Captain Blood i on his heel, he went aside to the rail As he stood there deep in thought, he was joined by Hagthorpe, Wolverstone, and Ogle the gunner In silence they stared with him across the water at that other shi+p She had veered a point away fro now on a line that as
”In less than half-an-hour,” said Blood presently, ”we shall have her athwart our hawse, sweeping our decks with her guns”
”We can fight,” said the one-eyed giant with an oath
”Fight!” sneered Blood ”Under a bare twenty ht? No, there would be only one way To persuade her that all is well aboard, that we are Spaniards, so that she may leave us to continue on our course”
”And how is that possible?” Hagthorpe asked
”It isn't possible,” said Blood ”If it” And then he broke off, and stood le, with a bent for sarcasht send Don Diego de Espinosa in a boat manned by his Spaniards to assure his brother the Admiral that we are all loyal subjects of his Catholic Majesty”
The Captain swung round, and for an instant looked as if he would have struck the gunner Then his expression changed: the light of inspiration Was in his glance
”Bedad! ye've said it He doesn't fear death, this damned pirate; but his sonin Spain” He swung on his heel abruptly, and strode back to the knot ofhim below” And he led the way down to the waist, and thence by the booby hatch to the gloom of the 'tween-decks, where the air was rank with the s aft he threw open the door of the spacious wardroom, and went in followed by a dozen of the hands with the pinioned Spaniard Every man aboard would have followed him but for his sharp cothorpe
In the ward-room the three stern chasers were in position, loaded, their h the open ports, precisely as the Spanish gunners had left thele, is work for you,” said Blood, and as the burly gunner ca un hauled back,” he ordered
When this was done, Blood beckoned those who held Don Diego
”Lash him across the mouth of it,” he bade them, and whilst, assisted by another two, they made haste to obey, he turned to the others ”To the roundhouse, some of you, and fetch the Spanish prisoners And you, dyke, go up and bid theo, with his body stretched in an arc across the cannon's e on either side of it, eyeballs rolling in his head, glared maniacally at Captain Blood A man may not fear to die, and yet be appalled by the for lips he hurled blasphemies and insults at his tore! Accursed heretic! Will it not content you to kill me in some Christian fashi+on?” Captain Blood vouchsafed hinant smile, before he turned to meet the fifteen manacled Spanish prisoners, ere thrust into his presence
Approaching, they had heard Don Diego's outcries; at close quarters now they beheld with horror-stricken eyes his plight Frouished in bearing and apparel frouished cry of ”Father!”
Writhing in the arms that made haste to seize and hold him, he called upon heaven and hell to avert this horror, and lastly, addressed to Captain Blood an appeal forhiht with satisfaction that he displayed the proper degree of filial piety
He afterwards confessed that for a , that for ait had planned But to correct the sentiment he evoked a ain he saw the white face of that child Mary Traill as she fled in horror before the jeering ruffian whos evenrose now before the eyes of hispurpose The Spaniards had shown themselves without ion, they ithout a spark of that Christianity, the Sy shi+p A o had insulted the Alhty by his assumption that He kept a specially benevolent watch over the destinies of Catholic Spain Don Diego should be taught his error
Recovering the cynicism in which he had approached his task, the cynicisle to kindle a match and reun that bore Don Diego Then, as the younger Espinosa broke into fresh intercessions led with imprecations, he wheeled upon him sharply
”Peace!” he snapped ”Peace, and listen! It is no part of my intention to blow your father to hell as he deserves, or indeed to take his life at all”
Having surprised the lad into silence by that proh in all the circumstances - he proceeded to explain his aiant Castilian of which he was fortunately o as for hiht us into this plight and deliberately into risk of capture and death aboard that shi+p of Spain Just as your father recognized his brother's flagshi+p, so will his brother have recognized the Cinco Llagas So far, then, all is well But presently the Encarnacion will be sufficiently close to perceive that here all is not as it should be Sooner or later, she , and then she will open fire or lay us board and board Noe are in no case to fight, as your father knehen he ran us into this trap But fight ill, if we are driven to it We make no tame surrender to the ferocity of Spain”
He laid his hand on the breech of the gun that bore Don Diego
”Understand this clearly: to the first shot froun will fire the answer I make myself clear, I hope?”