After a few moments, however, Garry cooled down a bit, restraining
himself by a violent effort, and he turned to his whilom patient with an
apologetic air.

"Faith, sor, I fancied I had that divvle, your fri'nd, the markiss,
sure, be the throat," said he, with a feeble attempt at a grin and
biting his lips to keep in his feelings while he dropped his arms, which
he had been whirling round his head like a maniac only just before. "By
the powers, wouldn't I throttle the baste swately, if I had hould of him
once in these two hands of mine!"

Colonel Vereker stretched out both his impulsively, and gripped those of
Garry O'Neil.

"Heavens!" he cried, with tears in his eyes. "You are a white man, sir.
I can't say more than that, and I am proud to know you!"

"Och, niver moind that, colonel," said the Irishman, putting aside the
compliment, the highest the colonel thought he could give. "Till us
what you did, sure, afther the poor maimed crayture was murthered by
that Haytian divvle. Faith, I loathe the baste. I hate him like pizen,
though I haven't sane him yit, more's the pity; but it'll be a bad job
for him when I do clap my peepers on him!"

"I could not do much," said the other, proceeding with his account of
the struggle with the mutineers on board the _Saint Pierre_, "but
Captain Alphonse and myself emptied our revolvers at the scoundrels and
floored three of them before they retreated back into the forecastle;
but the `marquis,' the greatest scoundrel of the whole lot, escaped scot
free, though I fired four shots at him point blank as he dodged behind
the mainmast and windlass bits, keeping well under cover, and mocking my
efforts to get a straight aim. The villain, I think, bears a charmed
life!"

"Niver you fear, sor," put in Garry, in answer to this remark. "His
father, ould Nick, is keepin' him for somethin' warm whin I git hould of
him. Faith, sor, you can bet your boots on that, sure!"

Colonel Vereker smiled sadly at the impulsive Irishman's remark. He
could see that he had moved every fibre of his feeling heart and warm
nature and that he was following every incident of his terrible story of
atrocities and sufferings with an all-engrossing interest.

"I rushed to the poop-ladder to make for the mocking brute, intending to
grip him by the neck, as you have suggested, sir," said he, "when, by
heavens, I would have choked the life out of his vile carcass!

"But Captain Alphonse prevented me.