Page:Guy Boothby - The Beautiful White Devil.djvu/189

 I will be more merciful. But flogged you shall be. Men, do your duty!"

The words were hardly out of her mouth before four of her crew, who had evidently been instructed in the parts they were to play, sprang forward, seized him by his arms and legs, and bore him swiftly from the gangway to the object whose use I had been wondering. Once there his feet were firmly secured, the upper part of his body was stripped to the skin, while, at a signal, a powerful native stepped forward from the crowd, carrying a cat-o'-nine-tails in his hand,

"Lay on twelve lashes," said Alie sternly.

The man had a broad white back, and the first cut raised its mark, the second put another alongside it, and by the time the twelve strokes had been administered the blood had begun to flow. After the first cut the wretched culprit no longer attempted to comport himself like a man; he struggled, whined, and finally bellowed outright. When the number was completed, the native paused and looked at Alie. Her face was turned away, but it was as hard as iron.

"You have so far had six lashes for each of the women you killed," she said; "now you will have six more for the man you butchered, and six more on top of them to teach you to respect myself and the name of Woman. Go on!"

By this time the wretched man's pluck was entirely gone. He entreated to be let off, offering large sums of money to be faithfully paid directly he got ashore, if she would only abate one lash. He might, however, as well have appealed to a stone: the second twelve were duly administered, and he was then cast loose. He fell