FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158  
159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   >>   >|  
possession, Ned, we had better put a man at the helm--for the speronare is having it all her own way." "Very true," replied Gascoigne; "and as I can steer better than you, I suppose it must be me." Gascoigne went to the helm, brought the boat up to the wind, and then they resumed their conversation. "That rascal of a boy gave me a devil of a lick on the shoulder; I don't know whether he has hurt me--at all events it's my left shoulder, so I can steer just as well. I wonder whether the fellows are dead." "The padrone is, at all events," replied Jack. "It was as much as I could do to get my legs from under him--but we'll wait till daylight before we see to that--in the meantime, I'll load the pistols again." "The day is breaking now--it will be light in half an hour or less. What a devil of a spree, Jack!" "Yes, but how can one help it? We ran away because two men are wounded--and now we are obliged to kill four in self-defence." "Yes, but that is not the end of it; when we get to Sicily what are we to do? we shall be imprisoned by the authorities--perhaps hung." "We'll argue that point with them," replied Jack. "We had better argue the point between ourselves, Jack, and see what will be the best plan to get out of our scrape." "I think that we just have got out of it--never fear but we'll get out of the next. Do you know, Gascoigne, it appears to me very odd, but I can do nothing but there's a bobbery at the bottom of it." "You certainly have a great talent that way, Jack. Don't I hear one of these poor fellows groan?" "I should think that not impossible." "What shall we do with them?" "We will argue that point, Ned--we must either keep their bodies or we must throw them overboard. Either tell the whole story or say nothing about it." "That's very evident; in short, we must do something, for your argument goes no further. But now let us take up one of your propositions." "Well then, suppose we keep the bodies on board, run into a seaport, go to the authorities, and state all the facts, what then?" "We shall prove, beyond all doubt, that we have killed three men, if not four; but we shall not prove that we were obliged so to do, Jack. And then we are heretics--we shall be put in prison till they are satisfied of our innocence, which we never can prove, and there we shall remain until we have written to Malta, and a man-of-war comes to redeem us, if we are not stabbed, or someth
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158  
159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
replied
 

Gascoigne

 

events

 
obliged
 
bodies
 
fellows
 

suppose

 

shoulder

 

authorities


overboard

 
impossible
 
bottom
 

bobbery

 

appears

 

someth

 

talent

 

heretics

 

prison


killed

 

satisfied

 
innocence
 

stabbed

 

redeem

 
written
 

remain

 
seaport
 
evident

argument

 

propositions

 

Either

 

padrone

 

possession

 
speronare
 
brought
 

rascal

 
conversation

resumed

 

daylight

 

Sicily

 

imprisoned

 

defence

 

wounded

 
scrape
 

breaking

 
pistols

meantime