"And there"s for you, yes!" said Joanna, smiling into the man"s agonised face, "Be thankful I spared your worthless life. Crawl into the boat, worm, and wait till I"m minded to patch up your hurt--Go!"
For a moment was silence, then came a great gust of laughter, and men clapped and pummelled each other.
"La Culebra!" they roared. ""Tis our Jo, "tis Fighting Jo, sure and sartain; "tis our luck, the luck o" the Brotherhood--ha, Joanna!"
But, tossing aside the smoking pistol, Joanna scowled from them to their captain.
"Hola, Belvedere," said she. "Your dogs do grow out of hand; "tis well I"m back again. Now for these my prisoners, seize "em up, bind "em fast and heave "em aboard ship."
"Aye, but," said Belvedere, fingering his beard, "why aboard, Jo, when we may do their business here and prettily. Yon"s a tree shall make notable good gallows or--look now, here"s right plenty o" kindling, and driftwood shall burn "em merrily and "twill better please the lads--"
"But then I do pleasure myself, yes. So aboard ship they go!"
"Why, look now, Jo," said Belvedere, biting at his thumb, ""tis ever my rule to keep no prisoners--"
"Save women, Cap"n!" cried a voice, drowned in sudden evil laughter.
"So, as I say, Joanna, these prisoners cannot go aboard my ship."
"Your ship?" said she, mighty scornful. "Ah, ah, but "twas I made you captain of your ship and "tis I can unmake you--"
"Why look ye, Jo," said Belvedere, gnawing at his thumb more savagely and glancing towards his chafing company, "the good lads be growing impatient, being all heartily for ending these prisoners according to custom--"
"Aye, aye, Cap"n!" cried divers of the men, beginning to crowd upon us again. "To the fire with "em! Nay, send aboard for Black Pompey! Aye, Pompey"s the lad to set "em dancing Indian fashion--"
"You hear, Jo, you hear?" cried Belvedere. "The lads are for ending of "em sportive fashion--especially the Don; he must die slow and quaint for sake "o the good lads as do hang a-rotting on his cursed gibbets e"en now--quaint and slow; the lads think so and so think I--"
"But you were ever a dull fool, my pretty man, yes!" said Joanna, showing her teeth. "And as for these rogues, they do laugh at you--see!" But as Belvedere turned to scowl upon and curse his ribalds, Joanna deftly whisked the pistols from his belt and every face was smitten to sudden anxious gravity as she faced them.
"I am Joanna!" quoth she, her red lips curving to the smile I ever found so hateful. "Oh, Madre de Dios, where now are your tongues? And never a smile among ye! Is there a man here that will not obey Joanna--no? Joanna that could kill any of ye single-handed as she killed Cestiforo!" At this was an uneasy stir and muttering among them, and Belvedere"s sleepy eyes widened suddenly. "Apes!" cried she, beslavering them with all manner of abuse, French, Spanish and English. "Monkeys, cease your chattering and list to Joanna. And mark--my prisoners go aboard this very hour, yes. And to-day we sail for Nombre de Dios. Being before the town we send in a boat under flag of truce to say we hold captive their governor, Don Federigo de Cosalva y Maldonada, demanding for him a sufficient ransom. The money paid, then will we fire a broadside into the city and the folk shall see their proud Governor swung aloft to dangle and kick at our mainyard; so do we achieve vengeance and money both--"
From every throat burst a yell of wild acclaim, shout on shout: "Hey, lads, for Cap"n Jo! "Tis she hath the wise head, mates! Money and vengeance, says Jo! Shout, lads, for Fighting Jo--shout!"
"And what o" your big rogue, Jo?" demanded Belvedere, scowling on me.
"He?" said Joanna, curling her lip at me. "Oh, la-la, he shall be our slave--"til he weary me. So--bring: them along!"
But now (and all too late) perceiving death to be the n.o.bler part, even as Don Federigo had said, I determined to end matters then and there; thus, turning from Joanna"s baleful smile, I leapt suddenly upon the nearest of the pirates and felling him with a buffet, came to grips with another; this man I swung full-armed, hurling him among his fellows, and all before a shot might be fired. But as I stood fronting them, awaiting the stab or bullet should end me, I heard Joanna"s voice shrill and imperious:
"Hold, lads! You are twelve and he but one and unarmed. So down with your weapons--down, I say! You shall take me this man with your naked hands--ha, fists--yes! Smite then--bruise him, fists shall never kill him! To it, with your hands then; the first man that draweth weapon I shoot! To it, lads, sa-ha--at him then, good bullies!"
For a moment they hesitated but seeing Joanna, her cheeks aglow, her pistols grasped in ready hands, they laughed and cursed and, loosing off such things as incommoded them, prepared to come at me. Then, perceiving she had fathomed my design and that here was small chance of finding sudden quietus, I folded my arms, minded to let them use me as they would. But this fine resolution was brought to none account by a small piece of driftwood that one of these fellows hove at me, thereby setting my mouth a-bleeding. Stung by the blow and forgetting all but my anger, I leapt and smote with my fist, and then he and his fellows were upon me. But they being so many their very numbers hampered them, so that as they leapt upon me many a man was staggered by kick or buffet aimed at me; moreover these pa.s.sed their days cooped up on shipboard whiles I was a man hardened by constant exercise. Scarce conscious of the hurts I took as we reeled to and fro, locked in furious grapple, I fought them very joyously, making right good play with my fists; but ever as I smote one down, another leapt to smite, so that presently my breath began to labour. How long I endured, I know not. Only I remember marvelling to find myself so strong and the keen joy of it was succeeded by sudden weariness, a growing sickness: I remember a sound of groaning breaths all about me, of thudding blows, hoa.r.s.e shouts, these, waxing ever fainter, until smiting with failing arms and ever-waning strength, they dragged me down at last and I lay vanquished and unresisting. As I sprawled there, drawing my breath in painful gasps, the hands that smote, the merciless feet that kicked and trampled me were suddenly stilled and staring up with dimming eyes I saw Joanna looking down on me.
"Oh, Martino," said she in my ear, "Oh, fool Englishman, could you but love as you do fight--"
But groaning, I turned my face to the trampled sand and knew no more.
CHAPTER X
HOW I CAME ABOARD THE _HAPPY DESPATCH_ AND OF MY SUFFERINGS THERE
I awoke gasping to the shock of cold water and was dimly aware of divers people crowding about me.
""Tis a fine, bull-bodied boy, Job, all brawn and beef--witness your eye, Lord love me!" exclaimed a jovial voice, "Aha, Job, a l.u.s.ty lad--heave t"other bucket over him!" There came another torrent of water, whereupon I strove to sit up, but finding this vain by reason of strict bonds, I cursed them all and sundry instead.
"A st.u.r.dy soul, Job, and of a comfortable conversation!" quoth the voice.
"Moreover a man o" mark, as witnesseth your peeper."
"Rot him!" growled the man Job, a beastly-seeming fellow, very slovenly and foul of person, who glared down at me out of one eye, the other being so bruised and swollen as to serve him no whit.
"He should be overside wi" his guts full o" shot for this same heye of mine if "twas my say--"
"But then it ain"t your say, Job, nor yet Belvedere"s--"tis hern, Job--hern--Cap"n Jo"s. "He"s to be took care of," says she, "treated kind and gentle," says she. And, mark me, here"s Belvedere"s nose out o" joint, d"ye see? And, talkin" o" noses, there"s your eye, Job; sink me but he wiped your eye for you, my--"
"Plague and perish him!" snarled Job, kicking me viciously. "Burn him, "tis keelhaul "im I would first and then give "im to Pompey to carve up what remained--"
"Pompey?" exclaimed this fellow Diccon, a merry-seeming fellow but with a truculent eye. "Look "ee, Job, here"s a match for Pompey at last, as I do think, man to man, bare fists or knives, a match and I"ll lay to"t."
"Pshaw!" growled Job. "Pompey could eat "im--bones and all, curse "im!
Pompey would break "is back as "e did the big Spaniard"s last week."
"Nay, Job, this fellow should make better fight for"t than did the Spanisher. Look "ee now, match "em, and I"ll lay all my share o" the voyage on this fellow, come now!"
"A match? Why so I would, but what o" Belvedere?"
"He sulketh, Job, and yonder he cometh, a-sucking of his thumb and all along o" this fellow and our Jo. Joanna"s c.o.c.ked her eye on this fellow and Belvedere"s cake"s dough--see him yonder!"
Now following the speaker"s look, I perceived Captain Belvedere descending the quarter-ladder, his handsome face very evil and scowling; spying me where I lay, he came striding up and folding his arms, stood looking over me silently awhile.
"Lord love me!" he exclaimed at last in huge disgust and spat upon me. "Aft with him--to the coach--"
"Coach, Cap"n?" questioned Job, staring. "And why theer?"
"Because I say so!" roared Belvedere.
"And because," quoth Diccon, his eye more truculent than ever, "because women will be women, eh, Captain?" At this Belvedere"s face grew suffused, his eyes glared and he turned on the speaker with clenched fist; then laughing grimly, he spurned me savagely with his foot.
"Joanna hath her whimsies, and here"s one of "em!" quoth he and spat on me again, whereat I raged and strove, despite my bonds, to come at him.
"I were a-saying to Job," quoth the man Diccon, thrusting me roughly beyond reach of Belvedere"s heavy foot, "that here was a fellow to match Pompey at last."
"Tush!" said Belvedere, with an oath. "Pompey would quarter him wi" naked hands."
"I was a-saying to Job I would wager my share in the voyage on this fellow, Belvedere!"