you surprised me by making war upon the friendly Dutch. But
now it seems that not even your own countrymen are safe from you."

"Have I not said that these... that this is a matter personal to me?"

"Ah! And their names?"

Captain Blood's crisp, authoritative, faintly disdainful manner stirred
Levasseur's quick anger. The blood crept slowly back into his blenched
face, and his glance grew in insolence, almost in menace. Meanwhile the
prisoner answered for him.

"I am Henri d'Ogeron, and this is my sister."

"D'Ogeron?" Captain Blood stared. "Are you related by chance to my good
friend the Governor of Tortuga?"

"He is my father."

Levasseur swung aside with an imprecation. In Captain Blood, amazement
for the moment quenched every other emotion.

"The saints preserve us now! Are you quite mad, Levasseur? First you
molest the Dutch, who are our friends; next you take prisoners two
persons that are French, your own countrymen; and now, faith, they're no
less than the children of the Governor of Tortuga, which is the one safe
place of shelter that we enjoy in these islands...."

Levasseur broke in angrily:

"Must I tell you again that it is a matter personal to me? I make myself
alone responsible to the Governor of Tortuga."

"And the twenty thousand pieces of eight? Is that also a matter personal
to you?"

"It is."

"Now I don't agree with you at all." Captain Blood sat down on the cask
that Levasseur had lately occupied, and looked up blandly. "I may inform
you, to save time, that I heard the entire proposal that you made to
this lady and this gentleman, and I'll also remind you that we sail
under articles that admit no ambiguities. You have fixed their ransom at
twenty thousand pieces of eight. That sum then belongs to your crews and
mine in the proportions by the articles established. You'll hardly wish
to dispute it. But what is far more grave is that you have concealed
from me this part of the prizes taken on your last cruise, and for
such an offence as that the articles provide certain penalties that are
something severe in character."

"Ho, ho!" laughed Levasseur unpleasantly. Then added: "If you dislike my
conduct we can dissolve the association."

"That is my intention. But we'll dissolve it when and in the manner that
I choose, and that will be as soon as you have satisfied the articles
under which we sailed upon this cruise.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll be as short as I can," said Captain Bl