"I mean to leave the ship," he said, "the moment we come to Valparaiso.
I am only engaged so far. But, indeed, I care little what becomes of
me," he ended, gloomily.

The captain probably had his own notions with regard to the boatswain,
as Salvé escaped the severe punishment he had expected, and was only
condemned to solitary confinement for fourteen days on bread-and-water.

"That will take you down a bit, my lad," said the captain.

The boatswain, however, made up for the leniency of his superior by a
little ingenuity of his own; and every day, when Salvé was enjoying his
meagre fare in his place of confinement, the mulatto, whom he had
triumphed over, by the boatswain's orders, took his dinner of hot meat
and ate it outside the door, close to the hole through which the light
was admitted, that the savoury smell might make its way in and tantalise
him.

At first, Salvé rather enjoyed the repose which his confinement afforded
him; but as his hunger increased he grew irritable, and at dinner-time
one day he approached his face to the opening.

"Mulatto!" he began; and the other looked up and grinned with his white
teeth, pleased to see some sign at last that his attentions had not been
thrown away--"that's good food you have there."

"Excellent," replied the other, mischievously, and with an inward
chuckle.