on it.
After a minute or two the lieutenant was satisfied.

"I must go on board now, mother; but what will you do with the body?"

"Leave that to me; who ever comes in here? Leave that to me, craven,
and, as you say, go on board."

Vanslyperken opened the door, and went out of the room; the old hag made
the door fast, and then sat down on the chair, which she replaced by the
side of the fire with her back to Smallbones.

The lad felt very faint from loss of blood, and was sick at the stomach,
but his senses were in their full vigour.

He now was assured that Vanslyperken was gone, and that he had only the
old woman opposed to him. His courage was unsubdued, and he resolved to
act in self-defence if required; and he softly drew the bayonet out of
his breast, and then watched the murderous old hag, who was rocking
herself in the chair.

"Yes, yes, the gold is mine," muttered she--"I've won it, and I'll count
it. I won it dearly;--another murder--well, 'tis but one more. Let me
see, what shall I do with the body? I must burn it, by bits and
bits--and I'll count the gold--it's all mine, for he's dead."

Here the old woman turned round to look at the body, and her keen eyes
immediately perceived that there was a slight change of position.

"Heh'" cried she, "not quite dead yet; we must have the hammer again,"
and she rose from her chair, and walked with an unsteady pace to pick up
the hammer, which was at the other side of the fire-place. Smallbones,
who felt that now was his time, immediately rose, but before he could
recover his _feet_, she had turned round to him: with a sort of low
yell, she darted at him with an agility not to be imagined in one of her
years and decrepit appearance, and struck at him. Smallbones raised his
left arm, and received the blow, and with his right plunged the bayonet
deep into the wrinkled throat of the old woman. She grappled with him,
and the struggle was dreadful; she caught his throat in one of her bony
hands, and the nails pierced into it like the talons of a bird of
prey--the fingers of the other she inserted into the jagged and gaping
wound on his head, and forced the flesh still more asunder, exerting all
her strength to force him on his back; but the bayonet was still in her
throat, and with the point descending towards the body, and Smallbones
forced and forced it down, till it was buried to the hilt. In a few
seconds the old hag loosed her hold, quivered, and fell back dead;