United States or New Zealand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
One of the firelock-men broke into hasty speech, glancing, the Colonel noticed, at him and Bale, as if they were the subjects of his words. O'Sullivan Og answered the man curtly and harshly; but before the reply was off his lips a second man broke in vehemently in support of the other. They all halted; for a few seconds all spoke at once.
The men, at a sign from O'Sullivan, had drawn to either side, and the firelock-men were handling their pieces, with one eye on their leader and one on the prisoners. Colonel John took Bale's hand. "What matter, soon or late?" he said gently "Here, or on our beds we die in our duty. Let us say, In manus tuas " "Popish! Popish!" Bale muttered, shaking his head.
He and the two firelock-men the messenger had vanished took their seats in the stern. "Pull out, you cripples," he said. "And be pulling stout, and there'll be flood enough to be bringing us back." The men bent to the clumsy oars, and the boat slid down the inlet, and passed under the beam of the French sloop, which lay moored farther along the jetty.
Word Of The Day