Wolverstone congratulated himself upon the discretion he had used
with Dyke.
"The Captain was ever a modest man," he explained to Hagthorpe and
those others who came crowding round him. "It's not his way to be
sounding his own praises. Why, it was like this. We fell in with
old Don Miguel, and when we'd scuttled him we took aboard a London
pimp sent out by the Secretary of State to offer the Captain the
King's commission if so be him'd quit piracy and be o' good
behaviour. The Captain damned his soul to hell for answer. And then
we fell in wi' the Jamaica fleet and that grey old devil Bishop in
command, and there was a sure end to Captain Blood and to every
mother's son of us all. So I goes to him, and 'accept this poxy
commission,' says I; 'turn King's man and save your neck and ours.'
He took me at my word, and the London pimp gave him the King's
commission on the spot, and Bishop all but choked hisself with rage
when he was told of it. But happened it had, and he was forced to
swallow it. We were King's men all, and so into Port Royal we
sailed along o' Bishop.
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