ood. "I'll waive for the
moment the unseemliness of making war upon the Dutch, of taking French
prisoners, and of provoking the anger of the Governor of Tortuga. I'll
accept the situation as I find it. Yourself you've fixed the ransom of
this couple at twenty thousand pieces, and, as I gather, the lady is
to be your perquisite. But why should she be your perquisite more than
another's, seeing that she belongs by the articles to all of us, as a
prize of war?"

Black as thunder grew the brow of Levasseur.

"However," added Captain Blood, "I'll not dispute her to you if you are
prepared to buy her."

"Buy her?"

"At the price you have set upon her."

Levasseur contained his rage, that he might reason with the Irishman.
"That is the ransom of the man. It is to be paid for him by the Governor
of Tortuga."

"No, no. Ye've parcelled the twain together--very oddly, I confess.
Ye've set their value at twenty thousand pieces, and for that sum you
may have them, since you desire it; but you'll pay for them the twenty
thousand pieces that are ultimately to come to you as the ransom of
one and the dowry of the other; and that sum shall be divided among our
crews. So that you do that, it is conceivable that our followers may
take a lenient view of your breach of the articles we jointly signed."

Levasseur laughed savagely. "Ah ca! Credieu! The good jest!"

"I quite agree with you," said Captain Blood.

To Levasseur the jest lay in that Captain Blood, with no more than a
dozen followers, should come there attempting to hector him who had a
hundred men within easy call. But it seemed that he had left out of his
reckoning something which his opponent had counted in. For as, laughing
still, Levasseur swung to his officers, he saw that which choked the
laughter in his throat. Captain Blood had shrewdly played upon the
cupidity that was the paramount inspiration of those adventurers. And
Levasseur now read clearly on their faces how completely they adopted
Captain Blood's suggestion that all must participate in the ransom which
their leader had thought to appropriate to himself.

It gave the gaudy ruffian pause, and whilst in his heart he cursed
those followers of his, who could be faithful only to their greed, he
perceived--and only just in time--that he had best tread warily.

"You misunderstand," he said, swallowing his rage. "The ransom is
for division, when it comes. The girl, meanwhile, is mine on that
understanding."