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Updated: May 15, 2025
In a few seconds the old hag loosed her hold, quivered, and fell back dead; and the lad was so exhausted with the struggle, and his previous loss of blood, that he fell into a swoon at the side of the corpse. When Smallbones recovered, the candle was flickering in the socket. He rose up in a sitting posture, and tried to recollect all that had passed.
"Excellent!" replied Vanslyperken, who felt not only that he should get rid of Smallbones, but have the widow in his power. "Dearest widow, how can I be sufficiently grateful! Oh! how kind, how amiable you are!" continued Vanslyperken, mumbling her fat fingers, which the widow abandoned to him without reserve. Who would have believed that, between these two, there existed a deadly hatred?
His mother, too, attracted a share of his reminiscences; the old woman would soon die, and then he would have all that she had saved. Smallbones occasionally intruded himself, but that was but for a moment. And Mr Vanslyperken walked away very well satisfied, upon the whole, with his esse and posse.
"No, sir, how could you?" replied Smallbones, who was all prepared for this explanation, "when the tide swept me past the saluting battery in a moment." "Past the saluting battery?" exclaimed Vanslyperken, "why, how were you saved?" "Because, thanks to somebody, I be too light to sink. I went out to the Nab buoy, and a mile ayond it." "The Nab buoy!" exclaimed Vanslyperken.
That it was Moggy Salisbury who gave the cruel blow, was a fact completely substantiated by evidence; but that it was Smallbones who held the dog, and who thereby became an active participator, and therefore equally culpable, was a surmise to which the insinuations of the corporal had given all the authority of direct evidence.
"Well, I am sure," thought Smallbones, "they'll think they have caught a queer fish anyhow;" and he waited very patiently for the fisherman to come up. At last he perceived the boat, which was very long, and pulled many oars. "They be the smugglers," thought Smallbones. "I wonder whether they'll pick up a poor lad. Boat ahoy!"
"So Smallbones tell Dick Short, when he speak to him on bowsprit." "Did it speak to Short?" inquired Vanslyperken, catching the corporal's arm. "Yes, mynheer; Mynheer Short speak first, and den the ghost say dat you not do it, but dat you give gold to old woman to do it, and she knock him brain out vid de hammer." To portray Vanslyperken's dismay at this intelligence would be impossible.
But even the flakes of snow, which now fell thick, and whitened the blue jacket of Mr Vanslyperken, could not assuage his wrath he perceived that the men were refractory, so he summoned the six marines who were completely under the control of their corporal. Poor Smallbones had, in the meantime, discovered what was going on, and thought that he might as well urge something in his own defence.
And it must be observed, that since their arrival in port, the Yungfrau had spent a great deal of money at the widow's; which was considered strange, as they had not, for some time, received any pay. And it was further observed, that none appeared so wealthy as Smallbones and Corporal Van Spitter.
He immediately repaired to the Jew's, to give intimation, and from thence to his mother's to prepare her for the arrival of Smallbones that evening a little before dusk.
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