Part 27 (1/2)

”'Oh, no!' he replied, 'of course not. _You_ wouldn't hang _me_ at the yard-arm if you had me on the _Adelaide_, eh, captain? No, no; I'm sure you wouldn't. You're _much_ too good a fellow for that.'

”'Ah, my friends,' he added, 'business is business. Now if my fellows return from your s.h.i.+p to-morrow with an unsatisfactory answer, I shall cut off both your ears, captain, and send them; then your nose. That's business. Have another cigar?'

”But poor Brackenbury was far too sick at heart to smoke any more.

”At bedtime that night two immensely tall negroes entered the room silently and stood waiting for orders.

”'Why don't you speak, eh?' said Brackenbury.

”Both suddenly knelt in front of Brackenbury and opened great, red, cavernous mouths.

”'Why,' cried O'Brady, aghast, 'never a tongue have they between the pair of them! Horrible! Shut your mouths, ye sturgeons! Here, put us to bed. We come all in pieces, you know. You'll see.'

”And now Brackenbury pulled out his teeth. O'Brady did the same.

”The blackamoors looked scared.

”Then Brackenbury took off his wig and threw it on the bed.

”Both negroes glared at him.

”O'Brady quietly removed a gla.s.s eye and placed it on the table.

”The negroes edged towards the door.

”But it is the last straw that breaks the camel's back. The last straw in this case was...o...b..ady's cork leg. When he sat down and whipped that off, the blackamoors rushed headlong to the door and fled howling along the corridor.

”Then Marco came in, all smiles and politeness.

”'They will neever, neever come again,' said Marco, laughing, when Dolosa's guests explained what had happened.

”Two mornings after this the crisis came, for Marco politely informed them that the first officer of the _Adelaide_ had refused to hand over the specie to ransom his captain.

”'So,' said Marco, 'one of you veel have de ears cut off dis morning.

But neever mind, geentlemans, neever mind,' he added, consolingly.

”Dolosa was as polite as if nothing were about to happen. It was a breakfast fit for a king, but, singular to say, neither Brackenbury nor O'Brady had the least bit of appet.i.te. They felt sick at heart with the shadow of some coming evil.

”They retired soon after to their room, but hardly had they entered ere the urbane Marco glided in and tapped each on the shoulder.

”He pointed smilingly to his own ears with his two thumbs.

”'De time is coome, geentlemans,' he said; 'but it is nodings, geentlemans. Neever mind, neever mind.'

”'But I do mind,' spluttered Brackenbury. 'Confound it all, even if we don't bleed to death right away, what will our wives say to us when we return to them with no more ears than an adder? I tell you, Marco, your master is a diabolical scoundrel.'

”'Hus.h.!.+ hus.h.!.+ capitan,' cried Marco. 'Do not speak so. De walls have ears.'

”'Yes, and I want to keep mine.'