Captain Blood

time right and wrong-a condition much

a lord of terror as Jeffreys, should by the dominance of his nature be able to fashion himself a co

on the 19th of September. Until the 18th, the sentences passed by the court of the Lords Commissioners had been carried out literally and expeditiously. But on the morning of the 19th there arrived at Taunton a courier from Lord Sunderland, the Secretary of State, with

g place a reckless waste of valuable material. Slaves were urgently required in the plantations, and a healthy, vigorous man could be reckoned worth at least from ten to fifteen pounds. Then, there were at court many gentlemen who had some claim or ot

iptum to his lordship's letter asked for a further hundred to be held at the disposal of the Queen. These prisoners were to be transported at once to His Majesty's southern plantations, and

ttempted by letter to induce the King to reconsider his decision. But James adhered to it. It was-apart from the indirect profit he derived from it-a clemency full worthy of him. He knew th

e shipped with some fifty others aboard the Jamaica Merchant. From close confinement under hatches, ill-nourishment and foul water, a sickness broke out amongst them, of which eleven died

e that he should be made free of the medicine chest and given leave to minister to the sick. But presently Captain Gardner came to see that he might be brought to task for these too heavy losses of human merchandise and because of this he was be

chant dropped anchor in Carlisle Bay, and put

of sufficiently imposing proportions composed of houses built upon European notions of architecture, but without any of the huddle usual in European cities. The spire of a church rose dominantly above the red roofs, a fort guarded the entrance of the wide harbour, with guns thrusting their m

ceive them, and a crowd-attracted by their arrival-which in dress and manner differed little fro

wered head and shoulders above the Governor, with malevolence plainly written on his enormous yellowish countenance. At his side, and contrasting oddly with his grossness, moving with an easy stripling grace, came a slight young lady in a modish riding-gown. The broad brim of a grey hat with scarlet sweep of ostrich plume shade

d a disfiguring black beard upon his face, and the erstwhile splendid suit of black camlet in which he had been taken prisoner now reduced to rags that would have disgraced a scarecrow, he was in no case for inspection by such dainty eyes as these. Nevertheless,

than the half of his attention. His little beady eyes, closely flanking a fleshly, pendulous nose, h

er could not hear at all, for she lowered her voice; the Colonel's reached him in a confused rumble, but the Governor was neither co

first choice from this dainty nosegay, and at your o

lantation." His beady eyes scanned them again, and his contempt of them deepened the malevolence of his face. It was as if he were annoyed with them for being in no better conditi

Before the young Somersetshire shipmaster he came to a halt, and stood an instant pondering him. Then he fingered the muscles

Gardner over

ounds for

ay. "Fifteen pounds! It isn't h

had meant to give,"

heap at thirty pou

hese white swine don't live. T

cussing; it was a beast of burden. Pitt, a sensitive lad, stood mute and unmoving. Only the ebb a

nauseated by the

with the Governor, who smirked and preened himself as he limped beside her. She was unconscious

swung on his

a penny more, and it's twice as much

Mr. Blood, as for a weedy youth on his left, the Colonel had no more than a glance of contempt. But the next man, a midd

hat singular fragrance. He was in no mood for conversation, nor was Pitt, who stood dumbly at his side, and who was afflicted mainly at the moment by the thought that he was at last about to be separated from this man with whom he had stood shoulder to shoulder throughout all t

d waited until Colonel Bishop had taken his choice of that human merchandise. As he finished, Blood, looking in his direction, noticed that the girl was speaking to Bishop, and pointing up the line with a silver-hilted riding-whip s

t of Blood. He would have passed on, but

the man I mea

es sunk into a yellow, fleshly face like currants into a dumpling. He felt the colour creeping into his

away when Gar

red his fellows. But for him there'd ha' been more deaths than there was. Say fifteen pounds for him, Colonel. That's cheap enough. He's tough

Colonel. Trust your niece. Her sex knows a man when i

nel himself was too absorbed in the consideration of this bargain to heed the Governor's humour. He twis

ounds for him," said

property of this gross animal, and in some sort the property of that hazel-eyed young girl. But it would need more than repugnance to save him from his des