The bosun was quick-witted enough to take my cue, and,
pointing to the captain, whose reputation as the most violent of
the deserters was clearly established, he made through his bandages
a series of grunts and roars which proved to the maire's
satisfaction that his jaw was very seriously damaged. And last of
all inspecting my comrades, who stood aside with trouble in their
faces, he bestowed on them sundry offensive epithets which I was
thankful they did not understand, for otherwise I am sure they
would have forgotten their part and endangered everything by
administering a castigation.
The maire arranged to billet us all. Having seen my double set of
prisoners securely locked up, and the deserters with Joe and the
bosun accommodated in a room hard by, I offered to convey Monsieur
Duguay-Trouin's message myself to his lieutenant, saying that I
should be charmed to make the acquaintance of the deputy of so
renowned a seaman. The maire took this as a great mark of
condescension. Accordingly I went down to the jetty, not far below
the maire's house, and accosting the officer in charge, a
rough-spun seaman, I gave him the message, and then bantered him in
a tone of good humor.
"So the English have been too much for you this time, lieutenant,"
I said. "It is Benbow, they say; a terrible fire eater, is he not?"
"Bah!" exclaimed the Frenchman. "Let him beware. He is no match for
Duguay-Trouin, and we'll beat him again as we have done before,
never fear.
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