Against All Flags Page #5

50 moidores.

50 moidores.

70 moidores.

Do I hear 80?

Speak up, my lonely lads.

80. 80.

80, 80.

Do I hear 90? 90?

80 it is, then.

To Crop-ear Collins.

Going to

Crop-ear Collins for 80.

Going, going, gone.

Come up here and get her.

I now opens

the lucky bag.

Take her away, me boy,

and be happy.

Now that I got her,

what does I do with her?

What does he do

with her he asks!

Take her away

before I gives you

a mother-in-law

to go with her.

Well-found and

fully rigged, me boys.

That will be 80 moidores,

103 guineas or 540 reals.

You got a real bargain there,

Crop-ear. A real bargain.

And now, gents,

as you knows well,

fine goods comes

in small packets.

So, speak up,

me lucky lads.

What am I bid

for this trim little cloth?

Do I hear 50 moidores?

I'll make it 50.

There ain't enough

beam to her.

50. Thank you, sir.

Going at 50.

Do I hear 60?

Going at 50.

Going, going...

1,000.

Must be quite a prize if she

be worth that much, laddie.

At 1,000 moidores,

first and last call.

Going, going, gone.

I will send Williams

over with the payment.

I think I'd prefer you

as a bachelor.

Curse me if I can

blame you too much.

Miss MacGregor.

Your servant, ma'am.

It's you, Mr. Hawke.

You startled me.

Mistress Stevens and

her men are away today.

Yes, I saw them

rowing out to the Shark.

As a matter of fact,

that's why I'm here.

Indeed, Mr. Hawke?

Tell me, Miss MacGregor, do

you know how to fire a pistol?

How would I know that?

That's what

I was wondering.

What possible use

can you make

of the one you've got

in your underwear?

Underwear?

I'll have you know, I've no

pistol concealed in my underwear.

Of course, if you wish to

be technical, your petticoat.

I think you better

let me have it.

It's liable to go off

at any moment, you know.

Aha! Bad girl.

I suggest that if you must carry

a weapon, you make it a knife.

It's far less

likely to explode.

Where's the Indian girl's

bedroom?

Bedroom.

You philandering scoundrel.

You make the slightest

attempt to approach her

and I will put her beyond the

reach of you and your kind.

I suppose you'll tell the

Captain she's the Princess?

Merciful heavens.

Miss MacGregor,

you've got to trust me.

You've got to help me

get her away from here.

You were trying

to buy her.

I'd no more trust that lamb

to you than I'd trust myself

Ah, me. If only I had as much of

the game as you give me the name.

Let's be forthright.

I'm the only one

you can trust.

Well?

Well, I'll trust her to you.

But not alone.

Wherever you take her,

you take me, too.

Agreed. There are certain

details to be completed.

I'll let you know

when all's ready.

Well, I hardly expected

to find you here.

Why not, ma'am?

Since it's by your

invitation that I am here.

Of course, there may be

another reason for the honor.

Has he seen the girl,

Miss MacGregor?

He has most certainly not.

That seems

very unkind.

After all,

he did save her life.

Besides, I have a fancy

to see them together.

This is the gentleman

who tried to buy you.

Yes.

It's the same gentleman

who saved you on the ship.

I know.

You must

thank him for it.

Thank you very much.

Again.

No, no, not again,

my sweet.

Yes, again.

Mercy honest!

That's enough.

Quite enough,

Miss MacGregor.

Take her to her room.

Why do you think you

can talk to me like that?

I'll have you...

No, no, lamby, she's

being kind to us. Come now.

Sweet child.

Let me see. There was...

Oh, yes, there was to be some

word of the venture, ma'am.

Yes, there was.

Sit down.

To what port can I go

from which

I can reach England

as a passenger

on a lawful ship?

Why, Rio, Bahia, Pernambuco,

any port in Brazil.

I've come to the belief that

there's nothing left for me here.

Why, ma'am, that's

very sound of you.

Why, in London you'll have

every gallant in town

at your feet

in no time.

And I'll warrant before the

rest of the season's out,

a fine, handsome

husband, too.

If you'll take me to Brazil,

I'll give you the Shark.

And then you can go pirating

to your heart's content,

until they hang you in chains

from Execution Dock,

for which occasion

I shall have a front seat.

Ma'am, I shall be delighted to toss

you me garter from the scaffold.

The hangman will

charge you a guinea.

And I'll give you

the girl, too.

Now, what would

I do with her?

Put her on the mantelpiece under

a glass cover like a Geneva clock?

What did you intend

to do with her

if you'd succeeded

in buying her?

I was a fool to think that you

might be different from the others.

Swaggering,

misbegotten bullies

who think that a girl is

without pride of her own.

Just something to satisfy

their selfish lusts and vanities

because she's weaker.

Well, I'm not weaker!

I go after what I want,

just like they do.

And I can defend

my own self-respect.

And if any man dares

to damage it,

I'll shoot the eyes

out of his head.

Both of them, Brian Hawke, both of them!

I'll accept the venture,

ma'am, but I'm warning you,

you draw

one more pistol

and you're going to find

yourself across my knee.

Why did you try

to buy the girl?

Maybe because I wanted to

keep her out of rough hands.

My father taught me how to

defend myself against rough men.

But he told me that he could

only warn me against gentlemen.

He said that a girl like me

should never put her trust in one.

And now it seems

that I'm about to.

Whoever said that

I was a gentleman?

It might be an opportune

time tonight, sir,

seeing as how most of the

pirate ships put out to sea.

I'll signal the man-of-war just

as soon as we fix the cannon.

If all goes well, she should

sail in at dawn tomorrow.

First, we have to get

the Princess aboard.

If I may be

so bold, sir,

why can't we put the Princess

aboard after she comes in?

No, no, no. We can't

take a chance on that.

If any of these cutthroats

were to find out

that she's

the Mogul's daughter,

they'd hold her to hostage, do away

with her, anything could happen.

It'd mean the death of

every Englishman in India.

So you two see that the

longboat is ready by night.

It ain't my affair, sir, but

what's to become of Miss Spitfire?

She treated us

most kind, she did.

Yes. I'll come ashore

with the landing party.

See that no harm

comes to her.

Now, pretend to go about

your business as usual.

Aye, sir.

Hawke!

Early this morning I saw

Mistress Stevens and her hands

putting off

with the Shark.

Yes. She's outfitting for

a new venture in two weeks.

Rightwise, I've no cause to

keep you from sailing on it.

Certainly not.

Providing you

sail on it alone

without Mistress Stevens.

Come now,

Captain, claw me.

I was never much of a one

for me own company.

I'm giving you

fair warning, Hawke.

That's very generous

of you, Captain.

I'll give it the fair

attention it deserves.

No, no, wait.

It's Crop-ear.

Hold there!

Well, Crop-ear.

Split me sides, I never

expected to see you out tonight.

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