At length, when we were left alone,
Sin twisted with a hollow groan,
And bade the Master save
His comrades by some bold device,
From the impending grave.
Said Blood: “I never take advice,
But every man has got his price;
We must maintain the open door,
Yes, even at the cost of war!”
He shifted his position,
And drafted in a little while
A note in diplomatic style
Containing a condition.
“If them that wishes to be told
As how there is a bag of gold,
And where a party hid it;
Mayhap as other parties knows
A thing or two, and there be those
As seen the man wot hid it.”
The Monarch read it through, and wrote
A little sentence most emphatical:
“I think the language of the note
Is strictly speaking not grammatical.”
[Illustration ** The African king seated with his foot on a skull,
writing, and another African in attendance, armed.]
On seeing our acute distress,
The King--I really must confess--
Behaved uncommon handsome;
He said he would release the three
If only Captain Blood and he
Could settle on a ransom.
And it would clear the situation
To hear his private valuation.
“My value,” William Blood began,
“Is ludicrously small.
I think I am the vilest man
That treads this earthly ball;
My head is weak, my heart is cold,
I’m ugly, vicious, vulgar, old,
Unhealthy, short and fat.
[Illustration ** Blood and African King standing talking.]
I cannot speak, I cannot work,
I have the temper of a Turk,
And cowardly at that.
Retaining, with your kind permission,
The usual five per cent. commission,
I think that I could do the job
For seventeen or sixteen bob.”
The King was irritated, frowned,
And cut him short with, “Goodness Gracious!
Your economics _are_ fallacious!
I quite believe you are a wretch,
But things are worth what they will fetch.
I’ll put your price at something round,
Say, six-and-thirty thousand pound?”
But just as Blood began with zest,
To bargain, argue, and protest,
Commander Sin and I
Broke in: “Your Majesty was told
About a certain bag of gold;
If you will let us try,
We’ll find the treasure, for we know
The place to half a yard or so.”
Poor William! The suspense and pain
Had touched the fibre of his brain;
So far from showing gratitude,
He cried in his delirium: “Oh!
For Heaven’s sake don’t let them go.”
Only a lunatic would take
So singular an attitude,
When loyal comrades for his sake
Had put their very lives at stake.
* * * * *
The King was perfectly content
To let us find it;--and we went.
But as we left we heard him say,
“If there is half an hour’s delay
The Captain will have passed away.”