H. Bedford-Jones

“ I know when a man tells the truth, Crawford. It was a lie ye spoke about the south sea passage, and the truth about the green star. So ye were on your way to her, eh? There's wizardry in that, or ye'd never ha' found me on the ice. Aye, wizardry! And as ye said, the star brought ye here. It's a warlock ye are, no doubt about it."
Crawford was somewhat bewildered by all this, but the gaze of his captor settled and sobered him. Deakin sucked at his pipe, while his abnormally large eyes fastened upon his prisoner in a gaze that was oddly unwinking. ”

“ From talking of it with Frontin or Sir Phelim Burke, a reaction had inevitably taken effect upon his own mind. He fought against this and scorned it, yet none the less it lingered. Consequently, Deakin's belief in a connection between star and Star Woman made an appeal to him—until he forced himself to dismiss the whole thing as the wanderings of an unsound brain, the superstitious fancy of a bestial man. ”

“ Bienville, leaning across the table with his eyes ashine, listened eagerly while Crawford and the chaplain conned the days that had elapsed since Limerick and Boynewater. Once Crawford turned to him gaily.
"And suppose we find the English fleet ahead of us, Bienville?"
The boy shrugged. "Ask Pierre! We've put some of our guns and thirty seamen aboard the Profound, and twoscore of our men are down below with scurvy. But we'll not find the enemy ahead of us. Pierre is always the first, never fear!" ”

“ Fog's down again and the outer ice splitting up. If the wind hauls around into the east'ard, we'll be free soon enough now. Blood and wounds! A month we've been fighting this cursed ice. Now, Crawford, what's to do with ye? If the ice stops movin' to-night, I'll have that bark of yours. Come over and hang Moses Deakin, eh? Let 'em try it! If they come, you're here for hostage ”

“ In this fashion half a mile was covered, the last of it being very precarious, since the floes were split into great cakes, while sharp cracks and reports told how further splitting was in progress. Then, abruptly, Deakin halted at the very edge of open water, swirling dark and ice-dotted as far as eye could pierce.
"Wind on the shift and ice be goin' out to-morrow," he announced, though Crawford could detect no faintest breath of breeze. "Launch the craft, now. Current settin' out—good! Into the skiff, Crawford." ”

“ I'll do ye no harm, Crawford, nor the star neither, for I'll need to walk carefully with warlocks, and can take no chances. A Cree wizard told me two year ago that no weapon or hand o' man could kill me, and that I'd come to my end only by the gift of a woman. So I ha' naught to do with women, unless it be the Star Woman. She always smiles at me, so I know she be right friendly and well-disposed."
He paused, puffing his pipe into a last flicker of life. Crawford gathered that in Deakin's thought he was something of a wizard, and was being treated to confidences. ”

“ There's men aboard her; ay, the faces begin to come out now. What the Canadians doing aboard she? And a red Injun, and fine officers in gold lace. I'll warrant the rogues are cold enough! And yonder's her cap'n; a fine handsome man he is, and a boy alongside him, likely his brother——"
Crawford sent an astonished glance to the fluid, but saw nothing. Could Deakin really be finding visions there? That man and boy—they must be Iberville and Bienville! He remembered now that Iberville had been awaiting ships from France——
"It's Iberville!" he exclaimed. "Iberville and his fleet!" ”

“ Then Iberville laughed, slammed the door shut again, and intervened.
"Sit down, Fitzmaurice, or I'll send you back to shrive more scurvy-sick men! Let the man talk. Crawford, give me the news I crave! Have you met English ships in the straits? Have you seen any but this Bostonnais you were mentioning?"
"None," rejoined Crawford. "Where's the rest of your fleet?"
Iberville shrugged. "How do I know? Ahead of us, we believe. We've been fighting the ice for weeks. ”

“ Swept away into darkness almost immediately, he devoted all his energies to getting rid of the lashing about his arms. First he had to reach the knife, which was no simple task in itself; then, doubling over, gripping it between his feet, he must hack and saw at the line which bound him. ”

“ We be going to take Crawford's ship—gold aboard her! We'll work up to her i' the pinnace, take her, and be back afore morning. Leave the three men worst down wi' scurvy to hold the Albemarle and signal us. Ice won't go out afore turn o' the tide come morning. Sharp, now, sharp does it! We ha' no time to dilly away. Chuck me down a coil o' light line as ye go."
Bose disappeared. Moses Deakin returned the dark fluid to its flask, placed it with the dish in the locker, then turned and stared at Crawford. ”