"I want to speak to you about the launch. We have now done nearly all
that we _can_ do to the schooner whilst she remains on the stocks, and
our next job will be to lay down the ways and--"
Ralli turned suddenly upon him with an evil gleam and glitter in his
eyes which spoke volumes as to the envy and hatred he bore to this man,
who, though a prisoner and practically a slave, still revealed in every
word and gesture his vast and unmistakable superiority to every other
man on the island, its ruler included.
"Aha! mister soldier," he said--using the mode of address which, for
some reason known only to himself, he deemed most offensive to Lance--
his lips curling into a sneering smile as he spoke, "what are you doing
away from your work? Go back to it at once, unless you wish me to start
you with a rope's-end as I would an unruly boy."
"I have no work to go back to," said Lance; "I am simply wasting my time
at present, and I wanted to learn your wishes as to what is to be done
next I presume you will have the craft launched forthwith, as she is now
ready to take to the water; and I should be glad to know what timber we
are to use for the ways."
"You presume I will have the craft launched at once," repeated Ralli,
the spirit of opposition rising strong within him, and the sneer upon
his lips growing more bitter with every word he uttered. "Why should
you presume any such thing, eh, you sare?"
"Because it is the right and proper thing to do," answered Lance.
"Every lubber knows that a ship is launched before she is rigged.
Besides, if you were to decide upon having the spars stepped and rigged,
the stores stowed, and the guns hoisted in before she leaves the stocks,
I should have a lot of extra trouble in calculating the proper
distribution of the weights so as to ensure her being in proper trim
when she takes to the water, and I want to avoid all that if possible."
The Greek grinned with vindictive delight as he listened to this
apparently inadvertent admission on Lance's part. It revealed to him,
as he thought, a new and unexpected method of inflicting annoyance upon
this man whom he hated so thoroughly, and his eyes fairly sparkled with
malice as he answered--
"What do you suppose I care about your extra trouble, you lazy skulking
hound? I tell you this: I will have every spar stepped, rigged, and put
in its place; the running rigging all rove; every sail bent; every gun
mounted; the magazine stowed; the stores and water all put on board; and
everything ready for the schooner to go straight out to sea from the
stocks, before she leaves them. Poole! Dickinson!"--to the two chums
who were working at no great distance--"come here and listen to what I
say. This stupid fellow--this soldier who thinks himself a sailor--says
that the schooner ought to be launched at once. _I_ say that she shall
be finished ready for sea before she leaves the stocks; and I place you,
Dickinson, in charge of the work to see that my orders are obeyed. This
fellow will no longer give any orders; he will be only a common workman;
he will obey you in future, or you will freshen his way with a rope's-
end. You understand?"
"Ay, ay," answered Dickinson, "I understands yer, Ralli, and I'll do it
too, never fear,"--with a scowl at Lance for Ralli's benefit. "Why, the
man must be a fool--a perfect fool--not to see as it'd be ever so much
easier to get things aboard now than when she's afloat. Now, you"--
turning to Lance--"you just top your boom and git away back to your work
at once, and don't let me see no more skulking or you'd better look
out."
Lance simply shrugged his shoulders, as was his habit whenever he
received any insolence from the members of the "Brotherhood," and,
turning on his heel, walked back to his work, secretly exulting in the
complete success of his manoeuvre.
Dickinson looked after him contemptuously for a moment or two, and then,
his face clouding, he remarked--
"Arter all, I wish I hadn't spoke quite so rough to him; the chap's got
his head screwed on the right way; he knows a mortal sight of things as
I don't understand, and I'd ha' been glad to ha' had his help and adwice
like in many a little job, as I'm afeared we'll make a bit of a bungle
of without him."
"That is all right," said Ralli. "You shall be able to talk him over,
Dickinson. Be a bit civil to him and he will tell you all that you will
want to know. Leave the--what you call?--the bullying to me; I shall
take the care that he enough has of that."
And now--on that same morning, and only an hour or two after the
conversation just recorded--there occurred an unfortunate incident which
completely dissipated Lance's exultation, filling him with the direst
and most anxious forebodings, and threatening to utterly upset the
success of all their carefully arranged plans.
It happened thus. Some timber was required by the carpenters on board
the schooner; and Dickinson, eager to properly play his part in the
presence of the Greek--who was standing close by--ordered Lance and
Captain Staunton to bring up a large and heavy plank which he pointed
out. They accordingly shouldered it, and, staggering under the load,
proceeded upon their way, which led them close past the spot where Ralli
stood. As they were passing him it unfortunately happened that Lance
stepped upon a small spar, which, rolling under his feet, caused him to
stagger in such a way that the plank struck Ralli full in the mouth,
knocking away three or four teeth and cutting open both lips. The
fellow reeled backwards with the severity of the blow, but, recovering
himself, whipped out his long knife, and, pale as death with passion,
rushed upon Lance. Captain Staunton saw what was about to happen, and
shouted in warning, "Look out, Evelin!" flinging the plank to the ground
at the same instant in such a way as to momentarily check the rush of
the Greek. Lance at the call turned round, and was just in time to save
himself from an ugly blow by catching Ralli's uplifted arm in his left
hand. The pirate, lithe and supple as a serpent, writhed and twisted in
Lance's grasp in his efforts to get free, but it was all in vain; he was
helpless as a child in the iron grasp of the stalwart soldier, and he
was at length compelled to fling his knife to the ground and own himself
vanquished.
But no sooner was he once more free than, calling to his aid a dozen of
the most ruffianly of his band, he ordered them to seize Lance and the
skipper, and to lash them hand and foot until the irons could be brought
and riveted on.
This was done; and an hour afterwards, to the grief and consternation of
all concerned in the plan of escape, the two to whom they chiefly looked
for its success were marched off to the "Black Hole," each man's ankles
being connected together by a couple of close-fitting iron bands and two
long fetter-links.