Gordon Young

“ As a child Davenant had made her kiss the knife with which she was one day to kill Grahame.
It was known that he had gone into the South Seas. But one doesn't follow a man by the track his ship leaves in the water. There was, she said, a Sicilian proverb to the effect that if your hate endured the world would shrink to bring the breast of your enemy within arm's reach. Davenant, cold, implacable, watched, waited and gave her no chance, even if she had used it, to forget.
It was through watching for all reports out of the South Seas that she had heard and learned of Hurricane Williams. ”

“ Some of its daughters had, when married to worthy men, been killed by their wronged husbands. The old countess had impressed upon Dula that that was a death of dignity and justice.
“A woman,” she had said, “woos death when she embraces her husband's friend, and if she smiles under the knife the Mother of God weeps in pity!”
With the death of her grandmother Dula had come directly under the care of Davenant. He was very much dreaded and disliked by many people, and there was a strong cynical hatred in him for everybody. Yet he had a large acquaintance, as a man does who uses up money rapidly ”

“ The first thing to do was to rush the forecastle-head and take care of the two fools up there. Heads twisted soberly over shoulders in our direction.
It may have been they caught a whiff of the liquor; or it may have been that they did not know what they wanted; whether to go to a white man's port with Shaylor who might break their heads if they refused, or to join Hawkins on the forecastle.
Men are much like domesticated animals. They may not like to be herded, but they are much at a loss to know what to do without herding. ”

“ Her enraged confessional did not cover that period at all; except in so far as I understood, by inference, that it was one of glittering evilness, with no fear of God and no love of anybody.
“I loathe men!” she hissed, glaring at me, her little fists clenched as if she would like to wreak on some man the rage she felt toward all. ”

“ Though, on the other hand, there is a perceptible lure in being rebellious. Even in rebellion, mutiny, outlawry, they want a herder.
“What we goin' do?” Hawkins asked, tired of trying to listen to what Red Shaylor was saying to the men. There was very little interest in the question. He did not greatly care. The brandy had been strong, and enough of it to warm his big body.
I did not know. Williams wanted to get to Savaii—to the village of Lelela. He had friends and stores there.
No, Williams wouldn't die. The only way a man like that died was suddenly. ”

“ Except Davenant?
Maybe not Davenant, but what of it? Wait till night, Hawkins went on, and Shaylor would learn something. All the men hated him—. If I would bring up another bottle he would take his ax and go aft. He had a mind to go after another bottle himself.
I warningly shook my head.
Dula was keeping vigil with a naked knife on the table beside her. There was no knowing who had fired into his back. She would trust no one. Me? Yes, but no one else.
She had begged could I—could I possibly imagine what Williams was about to say of her—of “that woman”—when he had been diverted? I could. ”

“ He damned me for not using it—then suddenly he cursed Williams for pulling the fellow out of the sea. Let him have. the gun; he would go aft then and there—
I had a bottle behind my back. We drank it. And talked.
No—Shaylor would not get to the bottles in the chest. Dula Davenant was there. She was keeping vigil—had he ever seen such a woman?
No, of course not. Worse than any ever seen. Of course.
Peculiar, strange, fierce, dangerous. But then all women were dangerous. There was no distinction. Aye, and she hated Shaylor.
Hawkins said the crew did, every man. ”