"
"Cuchillo entonces," was the savage reply.
"No, no," persisted Obediah, "get cool, man, get cool; I am pledged that
no harm shall come to him; and farther I have promised to put him ashore
at St Jago, and I will be as good as my word."
"You can't if you would," rejoined Francisco; "the Snake is at anchor
under the Moro."
"Then he must go with us."
"We shall see as to that," said the other; then raising his voice he
shouted to his ragamuffins, "Comrades, we are betrayed; there is an
English officer on board, who can be nothing but a spy; follow me!"
And he dashed down the companion ladder, knife in hand, while I sprung
through the small scuttle, like a rat out of one hole when a ferret is
put in at the other, and crept as close to Obed as I could; Francisco
when he missed me, came on deck again. The Captain had now seized a
cutlass in one hand, and held a cocked pistol in the other. It appeared
he had greater control, the nature of which I now began to comprehend,
over the felucca's people, than Francisco bargained for, as the moment
the latter went below, they released him, and went forward in a body.
My persecutor again advanced close up to me, seized me by the collar
with one hand, and tried to drag me forward, brandishing his naked knife
aloft in the other.
Obed promptly caught his sword--arm--"Francisco," he exclaimed, still in
Spanish, "fool, madman, let go your hold! let go, or by the Heaven above
us, and the hell we are both hastening to, I will strike you dead!"
The man paused, and looked round to his own people, and seeing one or
two encouraging glances and gestures amongst them, he again attempted to
drag me away from my hold on the tafferel.
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