"Yes."
And Hunston fondled the blackened eye, mentally cursing Tiller and his hard, h.o.r.n.y fist.
"Not I," said Joe Basalt, "not I. There"s a row aloft, I told you.
Three men have been put into irons, and I have got into trouble as well."
"What for?"
"Nothing," answered Joe Basalt, with a surly imitation of anger.
"That"s just it, for nothing, and aren"t they up in the stirrups neither?"
"They are!" exclaimed Hunston.
"Rather."
"And what do they say?"
"Say!" exclaimed Basalt. "Why, they"d as lief draw a cutla.s.s over his weasand, as they"d smash a ship"s biscuit."
Hunston"s pale face grew crimson at these words.
"That"s good," he said; "they"re men of spirit."
"That they are."
"And the rest of the crew; what do they say of it?"
"Why, they are all up about it; all to a man. So if you have a good thing to offer, I"ll undertake to say as they"ll volunteer to a man."
"Good."
"And leave them Harkaway folks in the lurch here, as they deserve, the mean beasts."
"Mean, indeed," echoed Hunston, secretly chuckling. "Why, they"re worse than mean."
"So you"d say if you only knew what a palaver they"ve made about having you here, pretending as it"s all charity and the like, when, of course, we know--"
"That it"s all your goodness, and that of your hot-headed comrade."
"Don"t speak of Jack Tiller, my friend," said Joe, who was working into his part capitally by this time; "he sees now what a fool he has made of himself."
"Did he say so?"
"Yes."
"Why did he go on so?"
"He quite misunderstood your meaning."
"The deuce he did. Why, however could that be? I was pretty explicit."
"He thought that it was to sell him. In fact, he made sure as you had overheard us grumbling together about the skipper, and that you was a-trying it on only to tell Mr. Harkaway all about it."
"Did he say so?"
"Yes."
"Then undeceive him immediately."
"I have done so."
"As for this," added Hunston, pointing to his discoloured eye and cheek, "I think nothing of it. All I"ll ask of him is that he shall do as much for Harkaway."
"That he will," said Joe, with sham heartiness. "And now how soon shall the ship be ours?"
Hunston glanced anxiously towards the door.
"There"s no fear." said Joe. answering his look; "they are all too busy for"ard, talking about them poor devils in irons."
"Brutes!"
"Aye, that they are. But when shall we get them free from their floating prison, cos that"s what it seems a-coming to?"
"I"ll tell you," answered Hunston, sinking his voice, "we"ll serve the Harkaway party as he served your messmates."
"How?"
"Put them in irons."
Joe Basalt gave a start at this.
"And if they would not go?"
"Chuck them overboard, all, everyone of them, except the women."
"I should hardly like doing that," said Joe.
"Then that shall be _my task_," exclaimed Hunston, warming up as he unfolded his diabolical scheme. "I should like to do that part of it myself. I swore to finish them all off," he added, more to himself than to Joe, "and I shall keep my oath after all, I begin to think. I"ll throw them all overboard--Harkaway, Jefferson, Harvey, all."
He looked up suddenly at the door.
Three big forms stood upon the threshold of the cabin.
The three whose names Hunston had just uttered.
Harkaway, Jefferson, and d.i.c.k Harvey.
"I thought I heard you call us," said the latter.