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."Don't be a fool, Captain.Do you wantto provoke trouble between the crews? His men outnumber us bynearly two to one.What's a girl more or less? In Heaven's name,let her go.He's paid handsomely for her, and dealt fairly with us.""Dealt fairly?" roared the infuriated Captain."You." In allhis foul vocabulary he could find no epithet to describe hislieutenant.He caught him a blow that almost sent him sprawling.The pearls were scattered in the sand.Cahusac dived after them, his fellows with him.Vengeance mustwait.For some moments they groped there on hands and knees,oblivious of all else.And yet in those moments vital things werehappening.Levasseur, his hand on his sword, his face a white mask of rage,was confronting Captain Blood to hinder his departure.=20"You do not take her while I live!" he cried."Then I'll take her when you're dead," said Captain Blood, and hisown blade flashed in the sunlight."The articles provide that anyman of whatever rank concealing any part of a prize, be it of thevalue of no more than a peso, shall be hanged at the yardarm.It'swhat I intended for you in the end.But since ye prefer it thisway, ye muckrake, faith, I'll be humouring you."He waved away the men who would have interfered, and the bladesrang together.M.d'Ogeron looked on, a man bemused, unable to surmise what theissue either way could mean for him.Meanwhile, two of Blood's menwho had taken the place of the Frenchman's negro guards, had removedthe crown of whipcord from his brow.As for mademoiselle, she hadrisen, and was leaning forward, a hand pressed tightly to herheaving breast, her face deathly pale, a wild terror in her eyes.It was soon over.The brute strength, upon which Levasseur soconfidently counted, could avail nothing against the Irishman'spractised skill.When, with both lungs transfixed, he lay proneon the white sand, coughing out his rascally life, Captain Bloodlooked calmly at Cahusac across the body."I think that cancels the articles between us," he said.Withsoulless, cynical eyes Cahusac considered the twitching body ofhis recent leader.Had Levasseur been a man of different temper,the affair might have ended in a very different manner.But,then, it is certain that Captain Blood would have adopted indealing with him different tactics.As it was, Levasseur commandedneither love nor loyalty.The men who followed him were the verydregs of that vile trade, and cupidity was their only inspiration.Upon that cupidity Captain Blood had deftly played, until he hadbrought them to find Levasseur guilty of the one offence theydeemed unpardonable, the crime of appropriating to himself somethingwhich might be converted into gold and shared amongst them all.Thus now the threatening mob of buccaneers that came hastening tothe theatre of that swift tragi-comedy were appeased by a dozenwords of Cahusac's.Whilst still they hesitated, Blood added something to quicken theirdecision."If you will come to our anchorage, you shall receive at once yourshare of the booty of the "Santigo, that you may dispose of it as youplease."They crossed the island, the two prisoners accompanying them, andlater that day, the division made, they would have parted companybut that Cahusac, at the instances of the men who had elected himLevasseur's successor, offered Captain Blood anew the services ofthat French contingent."If you will sail with me again," the Captain answered him, "you maydo so on the condition that you make your peace with the Dutch, andrestore the brig and her cargo."The condition was accepted, and Captain Blood went off to find hisguests, the children of the Governor of Tortuga.Mademoiselle d'Ogeron and her brother - the latter now relieved ofhis bonds - sat in the great cabin of the Arabella, whither theyhad been conducted.Wine and food had been placed upon the table by Benjamin, CaptainBlood's negro steward and cook, who had intimated to them that itwas for their entertainment.But it had remained untouched.Brother and sister sat there in agonized bewilderment, conceivingthat their escape was but from frying-pan to fire
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