. So listen, gentlemen, listen, for what
I have to tell is an important matter; my crime is that we were bringing
huge bars of silver--"

"Ho! ho! that begins well," shouted Asphlant, craning his neck to hear
better.

"On the way a storm rose, the ship sprung a leak, and the captain
ordered all useless ballast to be thrown overboard. There was nothing
left except the sick and the silver, and the question was which should
be cast into the sea?"

"Well, and you, as the doctor, of course kept the sick," said Skyrme.

"No indeed, I kept the silver, and now Captain Rolls wants to punish me
for it."

Barthelemy turned from the man in horror, while Rolls glared at him with
blazing eyes.

"Oho, captain," cried Asphlant, "so there is silver on your ship! Where
did you hide it, eh?"

"That I will not tell you."

"You won't? Oh, the thumb screw will find out. Here, ropes, ropes!"

"What do you mean?" cried Barthelemy, boldly surveying his companions.
"Are we members of the Inquisition, that we seek to learn truth by
torture? No, my friends; let no one have the right to say that the
pirates use the tools of the auto-da-fe! Should not we, who call
ourselves the heroes of the free sea, honor freedom? If Captain Rolls
will not reveal the hiding-place in his vessel we will take her into
port, pull every plank apart, and find the silver without committing a
deed which would dishonor us."

The pirates cheered their captain's speech, and began to fasten the
brigantine to their ship.

Scudamore, who had refrained from disclosing the hiding-place merely
that the pirates might wreak their vengeance on Captain Rolls, now,
perceiving that the latter had escaped, said:

"Don't trouble yourselves, gentlemen. Why should you drag this miserable
craft after you? Release me and promise to spare my life, and I'll take
you to the spot where the silver is hidden."

"Loose the doctor's hands from the irons," said Barthelemy signing to
his men. "I'll promise that we will not harm a hair of your head. Show
us the hiding-place."

Scudamore, finding his hands at liberty, tried to shake hands with each
one of the pirates in turn, but they angrily pushed him back.

"Hurry up!" cried Asphlant, dealing him a blow, while another pirate,
grasping him with both hands, dragged him along, Scudamore protesting
that he should feel under obligations to the whole company as long as he
lived.

The pirates soon returned, exultingly bearing the chests