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The parson who's gone I found running a gambling hell in New Jersey; the man 'Four-Eyes' I took from a crimp at Boston; John we got later on at Rio, where we bought him from the police. I had as fine a crew of scoundrels in a month as ever cursed in a fo'castle; and I shipped them all on the screw-steamer, Rossa, which I bought for six thousand pounds from the Rossa Company.
The fourth cry, loud and in something desperate, brought the response so eagerly awaited; but when I recognised the voice of him who then hailed me I fell down again in my boat with a heart-stricken burst of sorrow, for the voice was the Irishman's, and Four-Eyes spoke "Avast hailin', young 'un," he cried; "we ain't agoin' to part along o' your society no more, don't you be frettin'."
I threw myself flat instantly, and listened to his hail. "Ahoy, there, young 'un, are you getting a chill?" cried a bluff voice, which I did not recognise; but presently the man Four-Eyes hailed also, and I heard him say "If it's dead ye are, will ye be sending word up to us?" and, seeing the mood, I bawled with all my strength
We hooked him out by the breeches with a boat-hook; but I believe he wished himself dead with the bundle. As for 'Four-Eyes, he took what he thought was five hundred in notes from a card-player, but they're bad, dear boy, bad every one of them." "You don't seem very depressed about it," said I. "Don't I?" replied he. "Well, things aren't all they should be.
The good luck of the theft made me quick to empty the pot of gravy; and when I had returned the can, Four-Eyes went over the side again, and the yacht moved onward lazily in the softest of breezes from the west.
Anon they turned upon the captain and myself, and fired volleys upon the conning-tower; or, in their terrible frenzy, they pitched themselves into the sea, or raved with drunken songs, and vented their vengeance upon the Irishman, "Four-Eyes," chasing him wildly, and stabbing him with many cuts, so that he dropped dying at our door, with no more reproach than the simple words
"Answer that we'll see her in chips first," said Black, and he called for Karl and made signs to him. "If so be as ye don't come to, he'll be about to fire upon ye," cried "Four-Eyes," again, who stood at the flag-line, and this time Black thought before he answered "Then parley with 'em; we'll come alongside and hear their jaw."
Like a wild beast the savage old warrior disliked to have anything approaching a roof over him. It appeared to savor too much of a trap of some kind. Billy might have been asleep five hours or so and it was approaching midnight when he heard a noise outside the tent door and a second later old Sikaso announced his presence by a whispered: "Awake, Four-eyes, there is danger."
"Signal to 'em to lie to, if they don't want to go to hell," he said between his teeth, and "Four-Eyes" answered: "Ay, ay, sorr"; then, as the signal came, "He sez uz he'll say us at blazes afore he bates a knot."
Not that there was any confusion, only that awful crying of strong men in their agony, of the dying who feel death's hand upon them, of the wounded who had pain which was hardly to be endured. For a long time it seemed as though no one heard the hail of "Four-Eyes" to be taken aboard; and when at last we watched him get on deck, he met with no resistance, but did as he would.
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