so may I see him suffer,
for the anguish that is mine so may I watch his agony. Thou art a just
God, so, God of Justice, give to me vengeance!"

The sun rose high and higher over our quarter, beating down upon our
naked backs and adding greatly to our torments thereby, waking the pain
of old stripes and lending an added sting to new.

Ever and anon would come the sharp crack of the drivers' whips followed
by the squealing cry of quivering flesh (a cry wherein was none of the
human) the which, dying to a whine, was lost in the stir and bustle of
the great galleass. But ever and always, beneath the hoarse voices of
the mariners, beneath the clash of armour and tramp of feet, beneath
the creak and rumble of the long oars, came yet another sound, rising
and falling yet never ceasing, a dull, low sound the like of which you
shall sometimes hear among trees when the wind is high--the deep,
sobbing moan that was the voice of our anguish as we poor wretches
urged the great "Esmeralda" galleass upon her course.

The oar whereto I was chained along with my three bench-mates had at
some time been badly sprung, so that the armourers had made shift to
strengthen it with a stout iron fillet some six inches wide. Now it so
happened that my grasp came upon this fillet, and, with every stroke of
the oar, day after day, week in and week out, it had become my wont to
rub the links of my chain to and fro across this iron band, whereby
they had become very smooth and shining.

The words of my prayer were yet upon my lips, when, chancing to look
upon one of these links, I beheld that which set my heart a-leaping and
my riotous blood a-tingle to my fingers' ends; yet 'twas a very small
thing, no more than a mark that showed upon the polished surface of the
link, a line not so thick as a hair and not to be noticed without close
looking; but when I bore upon the link this hair-line grew and widened,
it needed but a sudden wrench and I should be free. This threw me into
such a rapturous transport that I had much ado to contain myself,
howbeit after some while I lifted my eyes to the heaven all flushed and
rosy with the young day, for it seemed that God had indeed heard my
prayer.

Presently, along the gangway amidships, comes none other than that
accursed Portugal, Pedro the whip-master, who, espying the drooping
form of the Frenchman beside me, forthwith falls a-cursing in his vile
tongue and gives a prodigious flourish with his whip.