There was a dead silence on the deck of the cutter for a quarter of an hour, during which the bodies remained suspended.  A breeze then came sweeping along and ruffled the surface of the water.  This was of too great importance to allow of further delay.  Sir Robert desired the seamen of the Yungfrau to come aft, told them he should take their cutter to Cherbourg, to land the Women and his own people, and that then they would be free to return to Portsmouth; all that he requested of them was to be quiet and submissive during the short time that he and his party were on board.  Coble replied for the ship’s company—­“As for the matter of that ’ere—­there was no fear of their being quiet enough when there were more than two to one against them; but that, in fact, they had no animosity:  for even if they did feel a little sore at what had happened, and their messmates being wounded, what was swinging at the yard-arm made them all friends again.  The gentleman might take the cutter where he pleased, and might use her as long as he liked, and when he had done with her it was quite time enough to take her back to Portsmouth.”

“Well, then, as we understand one another, we had now better make sail,” said Sir Robert.  “Cut away that rope,” continued he, pointing to the whip by which Vanslyperken’s body was suspended.

Jansen stepped forward with his snickasee, the rope was divided at once, and the body of the departed Vanslyperken plunged into the wave and disappeared.

“They mayn’t cut this tho’!” cried Smallbones.  “I’ll not trust him—­Jemmy, my boy, get up a pig of ballast.  I’ll sink him fifty fathoms deep, and then if so be he cum up again, why then I give it up for a bad job.”

Jemmy brought up the pig of ballast, the body of Snarleyyow was lowered on board, and, after having been secured with divers turns of the rope to the piece of iron, was plunged by Smallbones into the wave.

“There,” said Smallbones, “I don’t a think that he will ever bite me any more, anyhow; there’s no knowing though.  Now I’ll just go down and see if my bag be to be found, and then I’ll dress myself like a Christian.”

The cutter flew before the breeze which was on her quarter, and now that the hanging was over the females came on deck.  One of the Jesuit priests was a good surgeon, and attended to the wounded men, who all promised to do well, and as Bill Spurey said,

“They’d all dance yet at the corporal’s wedding.”

“I say corporal, if we only could go to Amsterdam instead of going to Portsmouth.”

“Mein Gott, yes;” replied the corporal, and acting upon this idea, he went aft and entered into conversation with Ramsay, giving him a detail of the affair with the widow and of her having gone to the Hague to accuse Vanslyperken, ending with expressing his wish of himself and the crew that they might go to the Hague instead of going to Portsmouth.  Nothing could please Ramsay better.  He was most anxious to send a letter to Mynheer Krause to inform him of the safety of his daughter, and he immediately answered that they might go if they pleased.