Levasseur made clear his purpose with a deal of unnecessary
obscenity.
Cahusac shook his head. "A Dutch brig!" said he. "Impossible!
We should never be allowed."
"And who the devil will deny us?" Levasseur was between amazement
and fury.
"For one thing, there's your own crew will be none too willing. For
another there's Captain Blood."
"I care nothing for Captain Blood...."
"But it is necessary that you should. He has the power, the weight
of metal and of men, and if I know him at all he'll sink us before
he'll suffer interference with the Dutch. He has his own views of
privateering, this Captain Blood, as I warned you."
"Ah!" said Levasseur, showing his teeth. But his eyes, riveted
upon that distant sail, were gloomily thoughtful. Not for long.
The imagination and resource which Captain Blood had detected in
the fellow soon suggested a course.
Cursing in his soul, and even before the anchor was weighed, the
association into which he had entered, he was already studying ways
of evasion. What Cahusac implied was true: Blood would never suffer
violence to be done in his presence to a Dutchman; but it might be
done in his absence; and, being done, Blood must perforce condone
it, since it would then be too late to protest.
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