Adventure Magazine Cover — page 79: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

78 Levasseur, white with rage and chagrin, controlled himself to answer. ‘““As you see, two prisoners.” ‘Ah! Washed ashore in last night’s gale, I presume?”’ “Not so.” Levasseur contained himself with diffi- culty before that irony. “They were in the Dutch brig.” “Tt don’t remember that ye mentioned that before.” “T did not. They are prisoners of my own—a personal matter. They are French.” “French!” Captain Blood’s light eyes stabbed at Levasseur, then at the prisoners. M. de La Place stood tense and braced as before, but the gray horror had left his face. Hope had leaped within him at this interruption, obviously as little expected by his tormentor as by himself. His sister, moved by a similar intuition, was leaning forward with parted lips and gaping eyes. “So!” said Captain Blood. “Who are they?” His crisp, authoritative, faintly disdain- ful manner stirred Levasseur’s quick anger. The blood crept slowly back into his blenched face, and his glance grew in in- solence, almost in menace. Meanwhile the prisoner answered for him. | “T am Henri de La Place, and this is my sister. M.de La Place, governor of Tor- tuga, is our father.” Levasseur swung aside with an impre- cation,, In Captain Blood amazement quenched every other emotion. “The saints preserve us now! Is it mad ye are entirely, Levasseur? Children of the governor of Tortuga, which is the one safe place of shelter that we enjoy in these islands fe Levasseur broke in angrily. “T have already told you ‘that it is a matter personal tome. JI make me alone responsible to the governor of Tortuga.” “And the twenty thousand pieces of eight? Is that also a matter personal to you?” wk FR Se “Now I don’t agree with you at all.” Captain Blood sat down on the cask that Levasseur had lately occupied, and looked up blandly. “T’ll be informing you that I heard the entire proposal that ye made to this lady and this gentleman, and J’ll be reminding Adventure you that we sail under articles that admit no ambiguities. You have fixed their ransom at twenty thousand pieces of eight. That sum belongs to your crew and mine in the proportion by the articles established. You'll hardly be disputing that. “But what is far more grave is that you have concealed from me this part of the prizes taken on your last cruise, and for such an offense as that the articles provide certain penalties that are something severe in character.” “Tf you dislike my conduct we can dis- solve the association.” “So we will. But first you’ll satisfy the articles under which we sailed upon this cruise.” “What do you mean?” “T’jl be as short as [ can,” said Captain Blood. “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 twenfy 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 us all, as a prize of war?” Black as thunder grew the brow of Levas- seur. “However,” added Captain Blood, “T’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 parceled the twain to- gether—very oddly, I confess. 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.’ Levasseur laughed savagely. “Ah, cal Credieuf. The good jest!” Ye’ve set — “T quite agree with you,” said Captain : Blood. Eomichbooks.co _—