“Bold, you must let me go.  I will make it worth your while.  Your father’s will—­is not destroyed; let me go—­and I will tell you where it is.”

“I will make no terms with you,” I said.

“But what do you gain by refusing?” he cried.  “You are only a lieutenant; promotion is slow; money would help you on.  You have your revenge on me—­and lose your property, for I vow I will tell you nothing unless you let me go.”

“I would not let you go for a king’s ransom,” I said.  “The wrongs you have done me are nothing; but for your villainy I should not be a king’s officer today.  I could almost forgive you.  But nothing in the world could persuade me to forget the wrongs you have done to a helpless woman—­the indignities you put upon her, the villainous designs you harbored against her.  No, you have done your rascally work—­you shall take your wages.”

He said no more then, but presently, when Cludde returned he made an appeal to him.

“Dick,” he said, “you and I are bound by long friendship—­”

“Which you have killed,” said Cludde, interrupting him.

“But you will not forget all the past—­our school days, the merry times we had then and after, all I have done with you, and for you.  For a dozen years we were as close as brothers; you won’t turn against me now?”

“I know, but—­Lucy—­’twas unpardonable,” Cludde stammered in great discomfort.  “I’m not spotless—­done things I am ashamed of—­but you carried things too far—­you wanted to force her to marry you—­”

“And do you think she will marry you now, you fool?” cried Vetch, with a flash of his old fiery temper.

“I could wish her to wed a better man,” says poor Cludde.

“Even so good as Mr. Humphrey Bold,” says Vetch with a sneer.

Cludde looked at me.  If he intended to say anything ’twas prevented by the entrance of Joe Punchard with news that all was ready.

“Bring him along,” I said, glancing towards Vetch.

Joe unstrapped his legs, leaving his arms still bound, and they followed us from the room.

We set off on our seaward march, having just time to regain the brig before the day became oppressive.  We took with us, as prisoners, such of the buccaneers as had been caught; what became of the rest I never knew.  Vetch marched with them, amid a guard of our men.

On the way I learned from Cludde how it happened that he was at the house at a time when, but for him, the buccaneers’ attack might have been successful before I came on the scene.  Being convalescent from his wound, and learning that Mistress Lucy wished to consult Mr. McTavish about selling the estate (for she had determined to carry through the negotiations begun by Vetch), he had offered to carry a message to the steward, intending to remain at the house for a few days for change of air.  He had seized the opportunity also of bringing to Uncle Moses and Noah charters of freedom from their mistress, in reward for their services to her and to hers.  Cludde insisted on her accepting from him the five hundred dollars which I had promised Noah for his life, and she handed it back as a present for the negro.