, the chart, lad, out wi' the
chart and Bartlemy's jewels are ours--pearls, Ben--diamonds,
rubies--aha, come, find the chart--let your comrade aid ye, lad--'

"'Stand back!' says Ben and whips a pistol from his belt. 'Look'ee,
Roger, says he, 'I found the dagger without ye and I'll find the
chart--stand back!'

"'Why here's ill manners to a comrade, Ben ill manners, sink me--but as
ye will. Only out wi' the chart and let's go seek the treasure, Ben.'

"'D'ye know the secret o' this thing, Roger?'

"'Not I, Ben!'

"'Why then must I break it asunder. Hand me yon piece o' of rock,'
says Ben, pointing to a heavy stone that chanced to be near.

"'Stay, Ben lad, 'twere pity to crush the silver woman, but if you
will, you will Ben--take a hold!' So saying, Tressady picked up the
stone, but, as his comrade reached to take it, let it fall, whereupon
Ben stooped for it and in that moment Tressady was on him. And
then--ha, Martin, I heard the man Ben scream, and as he writhed, saw
Tressady's hook at work ... the man screamed but once ... and then,
wiping the hook on his dead comrade's coat he took up the dagger and
began to unscrew the head. But now, Martin, methought 'twas time for
me to act if I meant to save my life, for I had nought but Nick Frant's
knife, while within Tressady's reach lay the dead man's pistols and
divers musquetoons and fusees on the beach behind him, which put me to
no small panic lest he shoot me ere I could come at him with my knife.
Thus, as I lay watching, I took counsel with myself how I might lure
him away from these firearms wherewith he might hunt me down and
destroy me at his ease; and the end of it was I started up all at once
and, leaning down towards him, shook the parchment in his face. 'Ha,
Tressady!' says I, 'Is this the thing you've murdered your comrade
for?' Now at this Tressady sprang back, to stare from me to the thing
in my hand, Martin, and then--ha, then with a wild-beast roar he sprang
straight at me with his hook--even as I had judged he would. As for
me, I turned and ran, making for a rocky ledge I knew, with Tressady
panting behind me, his hook ringing on the rocks as he scrambled in
pursuit. So at last we reached the place I sought--a shelf of rock,
the cliff on one side, Martin, and on the other a void with the sea
thundering far below--a narrow ledge where his great bulk hampered him
and his strength availed little. And there we fought, his dagger and
hook agai