Hark'ee to the lewd rogues--'tis
women now--hark to 'em!" And here again their vile song burst forth
with much the same obscenity as I had once heard sung by Abnegation
Mings in a wood, and the which I will not here transcribe.

"Well, shipmate," says Adam, glancing up from his papers, "last of all,
there's yourself! Here's you with the rope in prospect unless you quit
this ship, and yonder, Martin, yonder is the long-boat towing astern,
all stored ready, a calm sea and a fair wind--"

"No more of that!" says I angrily.

"But will ye dangle in a noose, Martin, when you might be away in the
long-boat as tows astern of us, and with a fair wind as I say and--"

"Have done!" says I clenching my fists.

"'Twill be the simplest thing in the world, Martin," he went on,
leaning back in his chair and nodding up at me mighty pleasant, "aye, a
very simple matter for you to drop down from the stern-gallery yonder
d'ye see, and setting a course south-westerly you should make our
island in four-and-twenty hours or less what with this wind and the sea
so calm--"

"Never!" cried I in growing fury, "Come what will I stay aboard this
ship until we reach our destination!"

"Hum!" says he, pinching his chin and eyeing me 'twixt narrowed lids,
"Are ye still bent on nought but vengeance then? Why look'ee, Martin,
'tis none so far to seek, for seeing you may not reach the father why
not smite him through the daughter? She'd make fine sport for our
beastly crew--hark to 'em roaring! Sport for them and a mighty full
vengeance for you--"

The table betwixt us hampered my blow and then, as I strove to come at
him, I brought up with the muzzle of his pistol within a foot of my
brow.

"Easy, shipmate, easy!" says he, leaning back in his chair but keeping
me covered.

"Damned rogue!" I panted.

"True!" he nodded, "True, Martin, vengeance is kin to roguery, d'ye
see. If you're for murdering the father what's to hinder you from
giving the proud daughter up to--steady, Martin, steady it is! Your
sudden ways be apt to startle a timid man and my finger's on the
trigger. Look'ee now, shipmate, if your scheme of fine-gentlemanly
vengeance doth not permit of such methods towards a woman, what's to
prevent you going on another track and carrying her with you, safe from
all chance of brutality? There's stowage for her in the long-boat,
which is a stout, roomy craft now towing astern, stored and victualled,
a smooth sea, a fair wind--"