per; and taking Dick by the chin,
he cruelly jerked his head into the air. "Blessed Virgin!" he cried, "it
is the pirate!"

"Hey!" cried Tom.

"By the Virgin of Bordeaux, it is the man himself!" repeated Arblaster.
"What, sea-thief, do I hold you?" he cried. "Where is my ship? Where is
my wine? Hey! have I you in my hands? Tom, give me one end of a cord
here; I will so truss me this sea-thief, hand and foot together, like a
basting turkey--marry, I will so bind him up--and thereafter I will so
beat--so beat him!"

And so he ran on, winding the cord meanwhile about Dick's limbs with the
dexterity peculiar to seamen, and at every turn and cross securing it
with a knot, and tightening the whole fabric with a savage pull.

When he had done, the lad was a mere package in his hands--as helpless as
the dead. The skipper held him at arm's length, and laughed aloud. Then
he fetched him a stunning buffet on the ear; and then turned him about,
and furiously kicked and kicked him. Anger rose up in Dick's bosom like
a storm; anger strangled him, and he thought to have died; but when the
sailor, tired of this cruel play, dropped him all his length upon the
sand and turned to consult with his companions, he instantly regained
command of his temper. Here was a momentary respite; ere they began
again to torture him, he might have found some method to escape from this
degrading and fatal misadventure.

Presently, sure enough, and while his captors were still discussing what
to do with him, he took heart of grace, and, with a pretty steady voice,
addressed them.

"My masters," he began, "are ye gone clean foolish? Here hath Heaven put
into your hands as pretty an occasion to grow rich as ever shipman
had--such as ye might make thirty over-sea adventures and not find
again--and, by the mass I what do ye? Beat me?--nay; so would an angry
child! But for long-headed tarry-Johns, that fear not fire nor water,
and that love gold as they love beef, methinks ye are not wise."

"Ay," said Tom, "now y' are trussed ye would cozen us."

"Cozen you!" repeated Dick. "Nay, if ye be fools, it would be easy. But
if ye be shrewd fellows, as I trow ye are, ye can see plainly where your
interest lies. When I took your ship from you, we were many, we were
well clad and armed; but now, bethink you a little, who mustered that
array? One incontestably that hath much gold. And if he, being already
rich, continueth to hunt after more even