"Of course it will, and if you'll kindly bring it here, it'll be a great
help. I reckon if I keep her head about--"
"Nor' by west."
"Ay, ay, sir, that's it, I have no doubt. If I keep her head nor' by west,
I dare say we shall fetch Callao as soon as you was a-saying just now. But
Bill and me should have the compass before us when we're steering; and
to-morrow we'll try to rig up a bit of a binnacle. You, perhaps, would not
mind fetching it now, sir?--Bring that patent lantern of yours, Bill."
I fetched the compass and Yawl the lantern, made of a glass bottle and a
piece of copper sheeting (like the rest of our equipments, the spoil of
the sea).
Kidd was quite delighted with the compass, the card of which was properly
marked and framed in a block of wood, and said it could easily be
suspended on gimbals and fixed on a binnacle.
After a while, Angela, who felt tired, went below, and I with her, but
only to fetch my _cobija_ and a pillow, for, as I told Kidd, I intended to
remain on deck all night, the cabin being too close and stuffy for two
persons. This was true, yet not the whole truth. I had another reason; I
saw that nothing would be easier than for Kidd or Yawl to slip on the
cabin-hatch while I was below, and so have us at their mercy, for Ramon,
though a stalwart youth enough, could not contend with the two sailors
single-handed.
"Just as you like, sir; it's all the same to me," answered Kidd, rather
shortly, and then relapsed into thoughtful silence.
I felt sure that he was scheming something which boded us no good, though,
as yet, I had no idea what it could be. His motive for desiring to take
the sloop to Islay or Arica, rather than to Callao, was pretty obvious,
but why he should change his mind on the subject simply because of the
compass, passed my comprehension. We could make Callao merely by running
up the coast, with which, despite his disclaimer, I had not the least
doubt he was quite familiar; and even if he were not, there was nothing in
a compass to enlighten him.
But whatever his scheme might be I did not think he would attempt to use
force--unless he could take us at a disadvantage. Man for man, Ramon and I
were quite equal to Kidd and Yawl. We were, moreover, better armed, as so
far as I knew, they had no weapons, save their sailors' knives. In a
personal struggle, they might come off second best; were, in any case,
likely to get badly hurt, and unless I was much mistaken, they wanted to
get hold of my diamonds with a minimum of risk to themselves. Wherefore,
so long as we kept a sharp lookout, we had little to fear from open
violence. As for the scheme which was seething in Kidd's brain, I must
needs wait for further developments before taking measures to counteract
it.
When I had come to this conclusion I told Ramon, in Quipai, to lie down,
and that when I wanted to sleep I would waken him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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