Page:Demon ship, or, The pirate of the Mediterranean.pdf/14

14 Jacqueminot; 'but were it not wise to see dat sail no more, before we shew dat we no vile merchanters, but men of de trade dat make de money by de valour.'—'There is something in that,' observed Jack; 'if the convoy come up, and our passengers be missing, 'tis over with us.' 'And de coot sacks wasted for noting,' said Jacqueminot, with a cool ingenuity that contrasted curiously with his vehement and horror-stricken manner in my cabin. 'Better to wait one day—two day parbleu! tree day—than spoil our sport by de precipitation.'—'I grudge the keep of these dainty passengers all this while,' said the captain, roughly; 'my lady there, with her chickens, and her conserves, and her pasties; and Mr Molly-flower Captain here, with his bottles of port and claret, and cups of chocolate and Mocha coffee. Paying, too, forsooth! with such princely airs for every thing, as if we held not his money in our own lands already. Hunted as we then were, 'twas no bad way of blinding governments, by passing for traders, and getting monied passengers on board; but it behoves us to think what's to be done now?'—'My opinion is,' said Jack, 'that we keep up the farce another day or two until we get into clear seas again. That vessel, yonder, still keeps on the horizon, and she has good glasses on board.'—'And the men?' asked the eaptaincaptain [sic]. 'I had rather, without more debate, go into this hen-pen here, and down into thothe [sic] cabin below, and in a quiet way do for our passengers, than stand the chance of a mutiny among the crew.' Here my very blood curdled in my veins. 'Dat is goot, and like mine brave capitain,' said the Frenchman; 'and yet Monsieur Jean say well mosh danger kill at present; but why not have de crew above deck vidout making no attention to de voyagers. Dey take not no notice. Miladi tink but of moon, and stars, and book; and for do sleeping Lyon dere, it were almost pity to cut his troat in any case. He ver coot faillow; like we chosen speerit. Sacre-bleu! I knew him a boy!—[I had never seen the follow until I was on the wrong side of my thirtieth birth-day.]—'Alvays for de mischief,—stealing apples, bcatingbeating [sic] his school-fellows, and oder little speerited tricks. At last, he was expell de school. I say not dis praise from no love to him; for he bcatbeat [sic] me one, two time, when I vas secretaire to his uncle; and den run off vid my soodheart—So I well pleased make him bad turn.'—'Look, look!' said Jack, 'the frigate gains on us; I partly see her hull, and the wind slackens.' I now put my own glass through my littlolittle [sic] window, and could distinctly see the sails and rigging and part of the hull of our late convoy. I could perceive that many of her crew were aloft. It was a comfortable sight