Gallegos laya little upstream beyond the native
huts; Mongo Toms below. Nothingcould be done until they picked up the pilot. Sóller
tried him persistently in both Spanish and Portuguese, butthe pilot shook his
head.
Evidentlyhe had been expecting another man. I talk
only with him, snapped Anthonyin French. This, he saw, was a flat, a sullen and
silent land. If any had been washed overboard it yetremained to be seen. The rest of
the crew are at morning mess. Helet out a wailing whoop and dived for the focsle.
This profound thought served to accelerate theirzeal considerably.
Don Ramón was screaming to them not to throw the
boyoverboard.
So there was nothing hostile in theapproaching
canoes, quite the contrary. They had not seen himstanding by the mast in the
shadow.
Rolling and milling about, his pistol
wentoff.
But he would also do anything to regain the solace
ofEl Polio. Brother Françoiswas, of course, in event of any physical clash, neutral.
You should have heard the noise they made when I fired through thebulkhead. In the
darkness he crept out of the focsleand fled back to Don Ramón.
It was paddled bytwo Kru boys stark except for
breech-clouts.
Anthony halted the man just by the carronade
amidships and kept himcovered. The captain was having great trouble reloading.
Strangely enough no one else could beseen about.
He had the two whaleboats slung in the schooners
waist lowered andtowed up to the bow.
Next morning a faint breeze began to push the
Ariostatica alongtoward Africa again.
There he confessed himself and
beggedabsolution.
He caught himself on theladder and drew his pistol
aiming it at the moonlit square above.
To turn me and the captain loose on shore withthose
bastards below! Thedanger was thoroughly impressed upon Juan who began to make
certainpreparations. I talk only with him, snapped Anthonyin French.
There he confessed himself and
beggedabsolution.
It must have taken some time to file the lockson
the Frenchmans irons.
The four guns of theFoulahs were trained at his
chest but he paid no attention to them.
There wereonly two slave factories on the Rio
Pongo, Mongo Toms andGallegos.
Well, he would not interfere for THAT
man!
Jaumee was now not only thebest but the only pilot
on the river, Anthony learned.