“And you say others of this crew have been obtained in the same manner?” I questioned, deeply interested, and perceiving in this a ray of hope.

“Not exactly—­no, I wouldn’t precisely say that.  It’s true, perhaps, that most of the Britishers were forced to join in about the same way I was, and there may be a Scandinavian, or two, with a few Dutch, to be counted in that list; but the most of these cusses are pirates from choice.  It’s their trade, and they like it.  Sanchez only aims to keep hold of a few good men, because he has got to have sailors; but most of his crew are nothing but plain cut-throats.”

“Where does he find them?”

“Where?  Why the West Indies are full of such devils; been breeding them down there for two hundred years—–­Indians and half-breeds, niggers, Creoles, Portuguese, Spanish, and every damned mongrel you ever heard of.  Sanchez himself is half French.  The hell-hound who kicked you is a Portugee, and LeVere is more nigger than anything else.  I’ll bet there is a hundred rats on board this Namur right now who’d cut your throat for a sovereign, and never so much as think of it again.”

“A hundred?  Is there that many aboard?”

“A hundred an’ thirty all told.  Most o’ ’em bunk amidships.  They’re not sailormen, but just cut-throats, an’ sea wolves.  Yer ought ter see ‘em swarm out on deck, like hungry rats, when thar’s a fight comin’.  It’s all they’re good fer.”

“Watkins,” I said soberly, after a pause during which he spat on the dirty deck to thus better express his feelings “do you mean to say that in three years you’ve had no chance to escape?  No opportunity to get away?”

“Not a chance, mate; no more will you.  The only place I’ve put foot ashore has been Porto Grande, where we run in to refit.  That’s a worse hell than the ship itself.”

“But Haines goes ashore; he was with Manuel’s boat yesterday.”

The big fellow laughed grimly.

“Bill rather likes the job, an’ they know it.  He’s a boatswain, an’ gets a big share of the swag.  He’s the only Britisher aboard who wouldn’t cut and run in a minute; besides he’s got a girl at Porto Grande.”

“And that fellow Anderson who was with Estada?”

“The lowest kind of a Swede cur—­he’ll do more dirt than a Portugee.  I know what yer thinkin’ ’bout.  I had them notions too when I fu’st come aboard—­gettin’ all the decent sort tergether, and takin’ the vessel.  ’Twon’t work; thar ain’t ’nough who wud risk it, and if thar wus, yer couldn’t get ’em tergether.  Sanchez is too damn smart fer thet.  Every damn rat is a spy.  I ain’t hed no such talk as this afore in six months, Gates; the last time cost me twenty lashes at the mast-butt.”

“Is there any chance of our being overheard now?”

“No; these near bunks are all empty, an’ the damn noise drowns our voices.  What’d yer have in your mind, mate?”

“Only this, Watkins.  I’ve got to do something, and believe I can trust you.  You are a square English seaman, probably the only one aboard I can repose confidence in.  I don’t blame you for sticking, for I suppose likely I’d do the same if I was in your case.  But I ain’t—­it’s not my life I’m thinking about, but that of a woman.”