aving removed
the diamond from my neck, I put it under my ham in the cavity, which
held it with ease, and then put the bandage on again over it, as I
thought they would hardly take a bandage off a bad knee to see if there
was anything concealed beneath it. It was with difficulty that I
contrived to get on board the brig, and as soon as I had gained the
deck, I was ordered to go down into the cabin: as I went aft, I looked
round for the Portuguese captain and the men, but could not see them. I
contrived, with difficulty, to get down into the cabin, and as soon as I
was there I was seized by the arms and held fast by two of the men,
while others bound me with seizings.

As the captain was looking on, I inquired into the cause of this
outrage. He replied, that we were a parcel of rascally pirates, who
would have taken his vessel if he had not been too deep for us; I told
him it was false, and that I could easily prove it, as we still had the
despatches on board with which we had been charged, and that I could
show good proof that I was the same person that I stated myself to be;
that I very much feared that we had fallen into the hands of pirates
ourselves, but that I would have justice done as soon as we arrived at
James Town, without he intended to murder us all before we arrived. His
answer was, that he was too old a bird to be caught with such chaff, and
that he would secure us and deliver us up to the authorities as soon as
he arrived. I replied, in great anger, that he would then be convinced
of his error, if it was an error, on his part; that his conduct was
infamous, and he looked like a scoundrel, and I believed him to be one.

"You call me a scoundrel, do you," said he, levelling a pistol at my
head.

"You call us scoundrels, do you," cried the boy I have made mention of,
and who was evidently the son of the captain, taking up another pistol
in his hand. "Shall I shoot him, father?"

"No, Peleg, not yet; we will pay them all when we get in. Take him
away, and put him in irons with the rest," said the captain; and I was
immediately dragged forward between decks through a door in the
bulkheads, where I found the Portuguese captain and three seamen already
in irons.

"This is pretty treatment," said he to me.

"Yes, it is, indeed," replied I; "but I will make him smart for it when
we arrive."

"Shall we ever arrive?" said the Portuguese captain, looking at me and
compressing his lips.

"I say, my m