supper for the sharks that night! At last old Bilboa got uppermost; out
flashed his knife; down it came, but not in my heart. No! I gave my left
arm as a shield; and the blade went through to the hilt, with the blood
spurting up like the rain from a whale's nostril! With the weight of the
blow the stout fellow came down so that his face touched mine; with
my right hand I caught him by the throat, turned him over like a lamb,
signor, and faith it was soon all up with him: the boatswain's brother,
a fat Dutchman, ran him through with a pike.

"'Old fellow,' said I, as he turned his terrible eye to me, 'I bear
you no malice, but we must try to get on in the world, you know.' The
captain grinned and gave up the ghost. I went upon deck,--what a sight!
Twenty bold fellows stark and cold, and the moon sparkling on the
puddles of blood as calmly as if it were water. Well, signor, the
victory was ours, and the ship mine; I ruled merrily enough for six
months. We then attacked a French ship twice our size; what sport it
was! And we had not had a good fight so long, we were quite like virgins
at it! We got the best of it, and won ship and cargo. They wanted to
pistol the captain, but that was against my laws: so we gagged him, for
he scolded as loud as if we were married to him; left him and the
rest of his crew on board our own vessel, which was terribly battered;
clapped our black flag on the Frenchman's, and set off merrily, with a
brisk wind in our favour. But luck deserted us on forsaking our own dear
old ship. A storm came on, a plank struck; several of us escaped in a
boat; we had lots of gold with us, but no water. For two days and two
nights we suffered horribly; but at last we ran ashore near a French
seaport. Our sorry plight moved compassion, and as we had money, we were
not suspected,--people only suspect the poor. Here we soon recovered
our fatigues, rigged ourselves out gayly, and your humble servant was
considered as noble a captain as ever walked deck. But now, alas! my