with the virtuous wrath of a knave
who discovers that he has been wrongfully suspected, bristled now with
indignation.

"Oh, that's all, is it?" he cried sarcastically. "No, sir, it ain't
all, nor 'arf, nor quarter. Let me tell you that no crimson pirate on
Gawd's earth can blow a British ship off the 'igh seas an' then do the
dancin'-master act, with 'is 'and on 'is 'eart, an' say it was just a
flamin' mistake. All! says you? Don't you believe it. There's a lot
more to come yet, take my tip--a devil of a lot, or I'm the biggest
lunatic within a ten-mile circle of w'ere I'm stannin', which is givin'
long odds to any other crank in the whole creation."

And Coke was right, though he little guessed then why he was so
thoroughly justified in assuming that he and the other survivors of the
_Andromeda_ had not yet gone through half, or quarter, or more than a
mere curtain-raising prelude to the strange human drama in which they
were destined to be the chief actors.

CHAPTER VI

BETWEEN THE BRAZILIAN DEVIL AND THE DEEP ATLANTIC

There was an awkward pause. Coke, rascal though he was, and
pot-bellied withal, was no Falstaff. Rather did he suggest the
present-day atavism of some robber baron of the Middle Ages, whose
hectoring speech bubbled forth from a stout heart. But the ragged
ex-President heeded him not. After a moment of placid scrutiny of his
enraged countenance by those bright, watchful eyes, Coke might have
been non-existent so far as recognition of his outburst was apparent
during the sonorous discussion that ensued between Dom Corria Antonio
De Sylva and the Senor Capitano Salvador De San Benavides.

The latter, it is true, betrayed excitement. At first he favored Iris
with a deprecatingly admiring glance, as one who would say, "Dear lady,
accept my profound regret and respectful homage." But that phase
quickly passed. His leader was not a man to waste words, and the
gallant captain's expressive face soon showed that he had grasped the
essential facts. They did not please him. In fact, he was distinctly
cowed, almost stunned, by his companion's revelations.

It fell to De Sylva to explain matters to his unexpected guests.

"My friend agrees with me that it is only fair that the exact position
should be revealed to you," he said, addressing Coke, though a
dignified gesture invited the others to share his confidence.

"It don't take much tellin'," began Coke. De Sylva silenced him with