"With the rest of the men--the fifth."

"Good! Are they all armed?"

"Every man has a sword and a pistol at least."

"What of the men?"

"A poor lot," answered Teach, recklessly. "A dastardly crew."

"Will they fight, think ye?"

"Curse me, they'll have to fight; we'll make them!" said Hornigold.

"Do they know what's up?"

"Not exactly," answered Raveneau, the Frenchman, a man of good birth and
gentle manners, but as cruel and ruthless a villain as any that ever cut
a throat or scuttled a ship. "Have no fear, captain," he continued
smoothly. "Once we start them, they will have to fight."

"Did you ever know me to show fear, de Lussan?" cried the captain
bending forward and staring at the Frenchman, his eyes glittering in the
darkness like those of a wildcat.

"No, captain."

"No, nor did any other man," answered Morgan, and from where he sat
Hornigold marked the little dialogue and swore in his heart that this
man who boasted so should beg for his life at his hand, with all the
beseeching pity of the veriest craven, before he finished with him. But
for the present he said nothing. After a short pause, Morgan resumed:

"Have they suspected my escape?"

"They have," answered the boatswain. "They found the remains of the
three bodies in the burned house this morning. At first they thought one
of them was yours, but they decided after a while that one was a woman,
and they guessed that you had made away with the officers and escaped.
I told them you had stolen my pinnace and got away."

"You did, eh?"

"Yes."

"And he swore and cursed you roundly, captain," interposed the Brazilian
chuckling maliciously. "Aye, sir, he swore if he got hands on you he
would give you up."

Morgan turned this time to Hornigold. He was by no means sure of his
position. He knew the enmity of these men, and he did not know how far
their cupidity or their desire to take up the old life once more under
such fortunate auspices as would be afforded under his command would
restrain them.

"Master Ben Hornigold, said ye that?" he queried. "Would ye betray me?"

His hand stole to his waist and his fingers closed around his pistol
grip.

"No fear, captain," answered that worthy composedly, sustaining the
captain's searching gaze. A braver man never stepped a deck than he. "I
did it to divert their attention. You see, they fancied at first that we
old sea-dogs might have something to do with your escape, but I
undeceived them. T