Part 47 (2/2)
He looked at her ”'S life!” said he, ”I reck little whether it be the silver heron or the golden grasshopper What odds?”
”It is Sir John's shi+p--Sir John Killigrew's,” she explained ”She was all but ready to sail when when you came to Arwenack He was for the Indies Instead--don't you see?--out of love for me he will have co you ere you could ht!” said Sakr-el-Bahr, and fell to hed ”Faith, he's some days late for that!”
But the jest evoked no response froer yet timid eyes
”And yet,” he continued, ”he coh If the breeze that has fetched him is faint, yet surely it blows fro a moment
Then, ”Were it possible to communicate with him?” she asked, yet with hesitation
”Possible--ay,” he answered ”Though we must needs devise the means, and that will prove none so easy”
”And you would do it?” she inquired, an undercurrent of wonder in her question, some recollection of it in her face
”Why, readily,” he answered, ”since no other way presents itself No doubt 'twill cost soed to complete the sentence
”Ah, no, no! Not at that price!” she protested And hoas he to know that all the price she was thinking of was his own life, which she conceived would be forfeited if the assistance of the Silver Heron were invoked?
Before he could return her any answer his attention was diverted A sullen threatening note had crept into the babble of the crew, and suddenly one or two voices were raised to demand insistently that Asad should put to sea at once and reerous Now, the fault of this was Marzak's His was the voice that first had uttered that tiestion, and the infection of his panic had spread instantly through the corsair ranks
Asad, drawn to the full of his gaunt height, turned upon thereater clamours, and raised the voice which in its day had hurled a hundred ht into the jaws of death without a protest
”Silence!” he commanded ”I am your lord and need no counsellors save Allah When I consider the tiive the word to row, but not before Back to your quarters, then, and peace!”
He disdained to argue with the in this secret cove and against putting forth into the open Enough for them that such should be his will Not for them to question his wisdo in Algiers whilst his fleets under Sakr-el-Bahr and Biskaine had scoured the inland sea The oad of his voice, their confidence in his judgment was not built upon the sound basis of past experience Never yet had he led into battle the ain in triumph and enriched by spoil
So now they set their own judgainst his To theested--to linger here, and his mere announcement of his purpose was far from sufficient to dispel their doubts
The murmurs swelled, not to be overborne by his fierce presence and scowling brow, and suddenly one of the renegades--secretly proitello--raised a shout for the captain whom they knew and trusted
”Sakr-el-Bahr! Sakr-el-Bahr! Thou'lt not leave us penned in this cove to perish like rats!”
It was as a spark to a train of powder A score of voices instantly took up the cry; hands were flung out towards Sakr-el-Bahr, where he stood above the iile hed the opportunity thus thrust upon him, and considered what profit was to be extracted from it
Asad fell back a pace in his profound mortification His face was livid, his eyes blared furiously, his hand flew to the jewelled hilt of his sci the blade Instead he let loose upon Marzak the venom kindled in his soul by this evidence of how shrunken was his authority
”Thou fool!” he snarled ”Look on thy craven's work See what a devil thou hast raised with thy woalley!
Thou to becohter upon the seas! I would that Allah had stricken at me such a son as thou!”
Marzak recoiled before the fury of words that he feared ht be followed by yet worse He dared make no answer, offer no excuse; in that moment he scarcely dared breathe