he boy shall
have her."

"Even so I will not join you."

"And that is your last word?"

"My last word. I will not join you. I have lived honest. I will die
honest."

"Soit!" he growled, and went away, leaving me to somewhat gloomier
thoughts.

CHAPTER XXI

HOW I FACED DEATHS AND LIVED

On the sixteenth day of my imprisonment I had stood against my bars till
the last faint glow of the sunset faded off a white cloud in the east, and
all outside had become gray and dim, and my room was quite dark. I had had
my second meal, and looked as usual for no further diversion till breakfast
next morning. But of a sudden I heard heavy feet outside my door, and
Torode came in with a lantern, followed by two of his men.

"You are still of that mind?" he asked, as though we had discussed the
matter but five minutes before.

"Yes."

"Then your time is up;" and at a word from him the men bound my hands and
feet as before, tied a cloth over my eyes, and carried me off along the
rocky way--to my death I doubted not.

To the schooner first in any case, though why they could not kill a man on
shore as easily as at sea surprised me. Though, to be sure, a man's body is
more easily and cleanly disposed of at sea than on shore, and leaves no
mark behind it.

I was placed in the same bunk as before, and fell asleep wondering how soon
the end of this strange business would come, but sure that it would not be
long.

I was wakened in the morning by the crash of the big guns, and surmised
that we had run across something. I heard answering guns and more
discharges of our own, then the lowering of a boat, and presently my
porthole was obscured as the schooner ground against another vessel.

Then the unexpected happened, in a furious fusillade of small arms from the
other ship. Treachery had evidently met treachery, and Death had his hands
full.

From the shouting aboard the other ship I felt sure they were Frenchmen,
and glad as I was at thought of these ruffians getting paid in their own
coin, and fit as it might be to meet cunning with cunning, I was yet glad
that the payment was French and not English.

Of the first issue, however, I had small doubts in view of Torode's long
guns and merciless methods, and though I could see nothing, with our own
experiences red in my mind, I could still follow what happened.

The schooner sheared off, and presently the long guns got to work with
their barbarous shot, and pounded awa