"Steady, Old Wolf! Steady!" Captain Blood admonished him.
"Steady, yourself, Peter. Ye've gone mad! Will ye doom us all to
hell out of tenderness for that cold slip of a girl?"
"Stop!" cried Blood in sudden fury.
But Wolverstone would not stop. "It's the truth, you fool. It's
that cursed petticoat's making a coward of you. It's for her that
ye're afeard - and she, Colonel Bishop's niece! My God, man, ye'll
have a mutiny aboard, and I'll lead it myself sooner than surrender
to be hanged in Port Royal."
Their glances met, sullen defiance braving dull anger, surprise, and
pain.
"There is no question," said Blood, "of surrender for any man aboard
save only myself. If Bishop can report to England that I am taken
and hanged, he will magnify himself and at the same time gratify his
personal rancour against me. That should satisfy him. I'll send
him a message offering to surrender aboard his ship, taking Miss
Bishop and Lord Julian with me, but only on condition that the
Arabella is allowed to proceed unharmed.
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