right heartily, but, seeing the Frenchman stirred not and
perceiving, moreover, the blood to come but slow and in no great
quantity, he presently desisted and bade us cease rowing one and
all.

This sudden respite from labour served but to teach me how stiff
and painful were my limbs, more especially my left wrist and
ankle where the fetters had worn great sores.

The wind was fallen light and there rose that hot, sickening
reek, that suffocating stench that is like unto nothing on earth
save one of these floating hells, and the which, if a man hath
but smelled it once, he shall nevermore forget.

After some while, back cometh Pedro with certain of the
armourers, and (having by divers methods learned the Frenchman
was in sooth dead) they struck off his fetters, hand and leg, in
the doing of which they must needs free me also (since we were
chained together, he and I) and, binding a great shot to his
feet, made ready to heave him overboard.

And now, seeing no man heeded me, I snapped asunder the cracked
link and was free, save for the heavy chain that cumbered my leg.
Stooping, I lifted this chain and crouched to spring for the
bulwark; but now (even in this moment), remembering all that I
had suffered at the hands of this most accursed Pedro, I turned,
and wrapping the broken oar-chain about my fist, crept towards
where he stood to oversee the armourers. His back was towards me
and I was within a yard of him when he turned, and, seeing me,
uttered a shout and raised his whip, but ere the blow could fall