‘So, then, gentlemen and comrades,’ pursued Captain Jem, ‘the case stands thus: here are a score of you have played with this man; and, although each man of that score ought to have had as good a chance of winning as Bell, yet the fellow has beaten you all, one after another; and the only winnings from him have been contemptible matters not worthy speaking of.’ The crew here uttered a loud murmur of acquiescence, and some of them began to threaten Bell with their fists. Still he tried to put a good face on the matter, although his tongue faltered as he spoke. ‘You are mistaken, gentlemen,’ he cried, ‘indeed you are; I will take my Bible oath that I played fair; nay, if you do not believe me, I am willing to give up all my winnings, and surely that ought to satisfy everybody. But I assure you, comrades, if I were to be hanged this minute, I would still say that you had no wrong from me. I am incapable of cheating, gentlemen! I do not understand how to cog dice, upon my soul; indeed, indeed I do not.’ ‘That fellow’s tongue would hang him if there were but one rope in the world,’ says the boatswain; ‘he was the first to talk of foul play, and now he is the first to talk of cogged dice!’ ‘We will soon settle that matter,’ says the captain, ‘and that by splitting open the ivory.’ ‘Oh, certainly, certainly, I agree to that,’ says Bell; ‘here are my dice, sir,’ and he whipped out several cubes from his pocket. ‘No, no,’ interrupted I, ‘never mind these; we will try the dice with which you won the two doubloons e’en now.’ And one of the men having fetched a hammer, I placed the morsel of ivory upon the ledge of the hatchway. Upon seeing this, Bell went down plump upon his knees, and raised a dismal howl. ‘Ah, you can be penitent enough now, chicken-heart!’ says Captain Jem; whilst I, having splintered the dice with a blow, we discovered a small bent piece of lead, very neatly inserted in one of the specks of the deuce side of the cube, not, however, drilled perpendicularly into the ivory, but artificially deposited in a sort of burrowing hole, running along just under the surface of that side of the square. It was evident, that to prepare a dice in this fashion required a hand very skilful and well accustomed to the work. The men crowded round to see it, uttering furious menaces against the convicted sharper, who never moved from his knees, but continued to supplicate most piteously for mercy. ‘Mercy!’ exclaimed Captain Jem; ‘mercy, forsooth. Thou art one of the first privateersmen I ever heard of cheating his comrades, and thou shalt smart for it, or I no longer command this schooner.’ ‘Do not flog me—for mercy’s sake, do not flog me!’ the fellow bawled; ‘I cannot bear flogging—it will kill me—it will be murder if you flog me. I was flogged once, and the doctor said it all but killed me;’ and so, crying and howling, the pitiful creature cast him down upon the deck, and bemoaned himself in the most abject misery of spirit.