"Knaves!" cried our prisoner. "Where the devil have you taken me? Where are the stairways of the public gardens? Where is La Misana's gondola? _Ventre-Dieu_! We are on sand! You have gone astray in the mist, clowns that you are, and you have set me ashore at random----" "No, signor," I said in Italian; "be kind enough to take ten steps with me and you will find the person you seek." He followed me; whereupon Cristofano, in accordance with my orders, instantly rowed away with the gondola, and went to wait for me in the lagoon on the other side of the island. "Will you stop, brigand?" cried Leoni, when we had walked along the beach for several minutes. "Do you wish me to freeze here? Where is your mistress? Where are you taking me?" "Signor," I rejoined, turning and drawing from under my cape the objects I had brought, "allow me to light your path." With that I produced my dark lantern, opened it, and hung it on one of the posts on the bank. "What the devil are you doing there?" he said; "have I a madman to deal with? What does this mean?" "It means," I said, taking the swords from beneath my cloak, "that you must fight with me." "With you, you cur! I'll beat you as you deserve." "One moment," I said, taking him by the collar with an energy which staggered him a little. "I am not what you think; I am noble as well as yourself. Moreover, I am an honest man and you are a scoundrel. Therefore I do you much honor by fighting with you." It seemed to me that my adversary trembled and was inclined to run away. I pressed him more closely. "What do you want of me?" he cried. "Damnation! who are you? I don't know you. Why have you brought me here? Do you mean to murder me? I have no money about me. Are you a thief?" "No," I said, "there is no thief and murderer here but yourself, as you well know." "Are you my enemy?" "Yes, I am your enemy." "What is your name?" "That does not concern you; you will find out if you kill me." "And what if I don't choose to kill you?" he cried, shrugging his shoulders and struggling to appear self-possessed. "In that case you will allow me to kill you," I replied, "for I give you my word that one of us two is destined to remain here to-night." "You are a villain," he cried, making frantic efforts to escape. "Help! help!" "That is quite useless," I said; "the noise of the waves drowns your voice, and you are a long way from human help. Keep quiet, or I will strangle you. Don't lose your temper, but make the most of the chances of safety I give you. I propose to kill you, not murder you. You know what that means. Fight with me, and do not compel me to take advantage of my superior strength, which must be evident to you." As I spoke, I shook him by the shoulders and made him bend like a reed, although he was a full head taller than I. He realized that he was at my mercy, and tried to argue with me.