"Hark'ee, Adam Penfeather," says I, choking with passion, "once and for
all I bide on this ship until she brings up off Hispaniola."

"But then, Martin, she never will bring up off Hispaniola, not whiles I
navigate her!"

"Ha!" I cried, "Doth my lady know of this? Doth Sir Rupert?"

"Not yet, Martin."

"Then, by Heaven, they shall learn this very hour!"

"I think not, Martin."

"And I swear they shall. Let them hang me an they will, but first they
shall hear you intend to seize the ship to your own purposes--aye, by
God, they shall know you for the pirate you are!"

Now as I turned and strode for the door, I heard the sudden scrape of
Adam's chair behind me, and whirling about, saw his pistol a-swing
above my head, felt the vicious, staggering blow, and reeling to the
door, sank weakly to my knees, and thence seemed to plunge into a black
immensity and knew no more.

CHAPTER XXII

TELLETH HOW WE WERE CAST ADRIFT

I awoke to a wind on my brow, very pleasant and sweet, and in my ears
the soft and drowsy ripple of water right soothing to hear, and thus
would have slumbered on but for another sound that broke out at
intervals, a thunderous roar that seemed to shake me where I lay.
Therefore I opened my eyes to see above me a great multitude of stars,
and lay staring up at them in vague and dreamy wonderment until, roused
again by another thunderclap, I raised myself and saw I lay in the
stern-sheets of a large, open boat that rocked to a gentle swell, and
all about me a misty sea grey with the dawn. Now as I gazed around me,
greatly troubled and amazed, I beheld, far away across these dim
waters, a flash of red flame, and after some while heard again the
thunder of a gun.

Little by little, as the light waxed, I made out the loom of two ships
and, despite the distance, I knew the foremost for the "Faithful
Friend." Ever and anon would come the faint crack of caliver or
petronel from her high poop, and the thunder of her stern-chase guns.
And with my mind's eyes I seemed to espy Adam firing from his loopholes
to sweep the decks forward, the while Godby and his few gunners served
the great basilisks aft, aiming them at a tall, black ship that stood
hard in their wake, yawing now and then to bring her fore-chase to bear
on them in answer.

Suddenly up flamed the sun turning sea and sky to glory; but I crouched
miserable in my helplessness, for now I saw the "Faithful Friend"
steered a course that was