CHAPTER XXI
TELLETH HOW THE SAID FIRE CAME ABOUT
"Lord love me, shipmate, here's you to hang at peep o' day anda-smiling in your dreams!"
"What--Adam!" says I, sitting up.
"In few short hours, Martin, here will be ninety odd souls earnestlyseeking to swing you up to the main-yard and you a-slumbering sweet asany innocent babe, and burn me, shipmate, I love you the better for't!"
"What of the fire, Adam?"
"Why, 'twas an excellent fire, Martin, and smoked bravely! What's moreit served its divers purposes whiles it lasted."
"Is it out then, Adam?"
"This two hours."
"And what might you mean by its purposes?"
"Well, mayhap you were one o' them, Martin. Here's the second timefire hath served ye well, you'll mind."
"How!" I cried, starting to my feet, "Will you be telling me 'twas youset this fire going?"
"As to the other purpose, shipmate, 'tis yonder--hark to it!" Andsmiling grimly, Adam held up a sinewy finger, as, from somewhereforward, rose a confused and dismal wailing.
"In heaven's name what's toward now, Adam?"
"The crew are singing, Martin, likewise they dance, presently theyshall fall a-quarrelling, then grow pot-valiant, all in regular andaccepted order. Already one poor rogue hath been aft to demand thewomen of us d'ye see, and--"
"To demand the women!" says I in gasping astonishment.
"Aye, the women, Martin--my Lady Joan and her maid, d'ye see."
"God's love, Adam!" I cried, gripping his arm, "And you--what said youto the vile dog?"
"Nought! I shot him!"
"Is the mutiny broke out then?"
"Not yet, shipmate, but 'tis coming, aye 'tis coming, which is verywell--"
"And what hath brought things to this pass?"
"Rum, Martin! The fire was in the store-room where there is ruma-plenty, d'ye see, and what was to prevent the rogues making off witha keg or so that chanced to lie handy--not I, shipmate, not I!"
"And why not, in the Devil's name?"
"Because, Martin," says Adam, sitting at the table and beginning to sethis papers in order, "because there's nought like liquor for puttingthe devil into a man, and of all liquor commend me to rum with a dasho' tobacco or gunpowder, d'ye see. We shall be heaving dead menoverboard ere dawn, I judge, and all along of this same rum, Martin.Black mutiny, murder and sudden death, shipmate, and more's the pitysay I. But if Providence seeth fit why so be it."
"Providence!" quoth I, scowling down into his impassive face, "Dare yetalk of Providence? 'Twas you set this bloody business a-foot."
"Aye, Martin, it was!" says he nodding. "As to Providence--look'eenow, if you can ape Providence to your own ends, which is vengeance andbloody murder, I can do as much for mine, which is to save the lives ofsuch as stand true to me and the ship--not to mention the women.There's Tressady skulking below, and I have but contrived that themutiny should come in my time rather than his and theirs. As it is, weare prepared, fifteen stout lads lie in the round-house below withmusquetoon and fusee, and every gun and swivel that will bear (falconetand paterero) aimed to sweep the waist when they rush, as rush theywill, Martin, when the drink hath maddened 'em properly--"
"And having maddened them with your hellish decoctions you'll shoot thepoor rogues down?"
"Aye, Martin, I will so, lest peradventure they shoot me. Thenbesides, shipmate, what o' the women? I have the Lady Joan and hermaid to think on, 'twould be an ill fate theirs in the hands of yonfilthy rabblement. Hark to 'em yonder, hark what they sing!"
For a while I could hear nought but a clamour of fierce shouts andhallooing, then, little by little, this wild, hoarse tumult rose andswelled to a fierce chaunt:
"Some swam in rum to kingdom come, Full many a lusty fellow. And since they're sped, all stark and dead, They're flaming now in hell O. So cheerly O, Hey cheerly O, They're burning down in hell O!"
"D'ye hear it, Martin, did ye hear it? Shoot the poor rogues d'ye say?Sink me, but I will so if Fortune be so kind. Yonder's short shrift andquick dispatch for me, shipmate, and then--the women! Think of my LadyJoan writhing in their clutches. Hark'ee to the lewd rogues--'tiswomen now--hark to 'em!" And here again their vile song burst forthwith much the same obscenity as I had once heard sung by AbnegationMings in a wood, and the which I will not here transcribe.
"Well, shipmate," says Adam, glancing up from his papers, "last of all,there's yourself! Here's you with the rope in prospect unless you quitthis ship, and yonder, Martin, yonder is the long-boat towing astern,all stored ready, a calm sea and a fair wind--"
"No more of that!" says I angrily.
"But will ye dangle in a noose, Martin, when you might be away in thelong-boat as tows astern of us, and with a fair wind as I say and--"
"Have done!" says I clenching my fists.
"'Twill be the simplest thing in the world, Martin," he went on,leaning back in his chair and nodding up at me mighty pleasant, "aye, avery simple matter for you to drop down from the stern-gallery yonderd'ye see, and setting a course south-westerly you should make ourisland in four-and-twenty hours or less what with this wind and the seaso calm--"
"Never!" cried I in growing fury, "Come what will I stay aboard thisship until we reach our destination!"
"Hum!" says he, pinching his chin and eyeing me 'twixt narrowed lids,"Are ye still bent on nought but vengeance then? Why look'ee, Martin,'tis none so far to seek, for seeing you may not reach the father whynot smite him through the daughter? She'd make fine sport for ourbeastly crew--hark to 'em roaring! Sport for them and a mighty fullvengeance for you--"
The table betwixt us hampered my blow and then, as I strove to come athim, I brought up with the muzzle of his pistol within a foot of mybrow.
"Easy, shipmate, easy!" says he, leaning back in his chair but keepingme covered.
"Damned rogue!" I panted.
"True!" he nodded, "True, Martin, vengeance is kin to roguery, d'yesee. If you're for murdering the father what's to hinder you fromgiving the proud daughter up to--steady, Martin, steady it is! Yoursudden ways be apt to startle a timid man and my finger's on thetrigger. Look'ee now, shipmate, if your scheme of fine-gentlemanlyvengeance doth not permit of such methods towards a woman, what's toprevent you going on another track and carrying her with you, safe fromall chance of brutality? There's stowage for her in the long-boat,which is a stout, roomy craft now towing astern, stored and victualled,a smooth sea, a fair wind--"
"Hark'ee, Adam Penfeather," says I, choking with passion, "once and forall I bide on this ship until she brings up off Hispaniola."
"But then, Martin, she never will bring up off Hispaniola, not whiles Inavigate her!"
"Ha!" I cried, "Doth my lady know of this? Doth Sir Rupert?"
"Not yet, Martin."
"Then, by Heaven, they shall learn this very hour!"
"I think not, Martin."
"And I swear they shall. Let them hang me an they will, but first theyshall hear you intend to seize the ship to your own purposes--aye, byGod, they shall know you for the pirate you are!"
Now as I turned and strode for the door, I heard the sudden scrape ofAdam's chair behind me, and whirling about, saw his pistol a-swingabove my head, felt the vicious, staggering blow, and reeling to thedoor, sank weakly to my knees, and thence seemed to plunge into a blackimmensity and knew no more.