me, and, although I have not very
frequently referred to him in the telling of this story, had attached
himself to me with almost the fidelity of a dog, sharing in my watch,
and seizing every opportunity to be in my company. Should he find
himself at liberty to seek me I should be lost, for he would not be
content until he had found me. There were just two chances in my favour
against many adverse possibilities: the first being that Mendouca's
condition would confine the lad to his side all through the night; the
second lying in the fact that I had taken the precaution to lock my
cabin-door and remove the key before leaving the brigantine, so that
should it chance that I was sought for, it might be thought that I had
locked myself into my cabin in anger at the piratical deed that had been
perpetrated. But I grew increasingly uneasy as the minutes dragged
their slow length along, expecting every moment to hear a hail from the
brigantine inquiring as to my whereabouts. It was therefore with a
feeling of keen delight that, at the expiration of about twenty-five
minutes, when my state of suspense had become almost unendurable, as I
stood listening at the head of the companion-way I heard Jose's voice
again, and the sounds of his own and his companion's emergence from the
lazarette.

"There," I heard him exclaim in Spanish, in a drunken voice and with a
jeering laugh, "that job is done, and pretty effectually, too; I don't
suppose she will float longer than three hours more, or four at the
most, and then who is to know what has become of her? It will be
supposed that she foundered in a gale; and that will be the end of the
matter. It is a pity, Miguel, that we should be obliged to destroy so
fine a ship, but she could never be of any use to us, and necessity has
no law, you know. Now--let me consider--there is one thing more to be
done before we leave; what is it? It was in my mind a moment ago! Ah,
yes, of course, that is it; we have to put this miserable poltroon of a
steward back into his pantry, lock the door upon him, and--yes, that is
all, I think. Come along, _amigo_!"

I heard the steward begging piteously not to be locked up again; for
although the fellow had probably not understood a single word of what
Jose had said, he had sense enough to know that the two ruffians before
him had scuttled the ship, and that if locked up in his pantry again he
would probably drown there, like a rat in a trap. His entr