radiance of drawn steel. A pistol ball sang past my ear.

“Don’t shoot!” roared the gravedigger to the man who had fired the shot. “Don’t cut them down! Take them and thrust them under hatches until we’ve time to give them a slow death! And hands off the woman until we’ve time to draw lots!”

He and the Spaniard led the rush. I turned my head and nodded to Sparrow, then faced them again. “Then may the Lord have mercy upon your souls!” I said.

As I spoke the minister sprang upon the helmsman, and, striking him to the deck with one blow of his huge fist, himself seized the wheel. Before the pirates could draw breath he had jammed the helm to starboard, and the reef lay right across our bows.