silently, as she closed her eyes and her fingers crept timorously over the satiny belly, down into the nest of fine dense golden curls at the base.
The next day dawned in a cloudless sky. Although the air was chill the sun was IT brilliant and the wind had dropped. From the scaffold Hal watched the closed door to the dungeons. Daniel stayed close by his side, in taking Hal's share of the work on his broad shoulders he was shielding him from Barnard's lash.
When Slow John came through the gates and crossed the courtyard to the armoury, with his measured undertaker's tread, Hal stared down at him with stricken eyes. Suddenly, as he passed below the scaffold, Hal snatched up the heavy mason's hammer that lay on the planking at his feet and lifted it to hurl. it down and crush the executioner's skull.
But Daniel's great fist closed around his wrist. He eased the hammer from Hal's grip, as though he were taking a toy from a child, and placed it on top of the wall beyond his reach.
'Why did you do that?' Hal protested. 'I could have killed the swine.'
'To no purpose,' Daniel told him, with compassion. 'You cannot save Sir Francis by killing an underling, You would sacrifice your own life and achieve nothing by it. They would simply send another to your father.'
Manseer brought Sir Francis up from the dungeons. He could not walk unaided on his broken bandaged feet, but his head was high as they dragged him across the courtyard.
'Father!' Hal screamed, in torment. 'I cannot let this happen.'
Sir Francis looked up at him, and called in a voice just loud enough to reach him on the high wall, 'Be strong, my son. For my sake, be strong.' Manseer forced him down the steps below the armoury.
The day was long, longer than any that Hal had ever lived through, and the north side of the courtyard was in deep shadow when at last Slow John re-emerged from below the armoury.
'This time I will kill the poisonous swine,' Hal blurted, but again Daniel held him in a grip that he could not shake off as the executioner walked slowly beneath the scaffold and out through the castle gates.
Hop came scampering into the courtyard, his face ghastly. He summoned the Company surgeon and the two men disappeared once more down the stairs. This time the soldiers brought out Sir Francis on a litter.
'Father!' Hal shouted down to him, but there was neither reply nor sign of life in response.
'I have warned you often enough,' Hugo Barnard bellowed at him. He strode out onto the boards and laid half a dozen whip strokes across his back. Hal made no attempt to avoid the blows, and Barnard stepped back astonished that he showed no pain. 'Any more of your imbecile chattering, and I will put the dogs onto you,' he promised, as he turned away. Meanwhile, in the courtyard, the Company surgeon watched gravely as the soldiers carried Sir Francis's unconscious form down to his cell. Then, accompanied by Hop, he set off for the Governor's suite on the south side of the courtyard.
Van de Velde looked up in irritation from the papers that littered his desk. 'Yes? What is it, Doctor Soar? I am a busy man. I hope you have not come here to waste my time.' 'it is the prisoner, your excellency.' The surgeon looked flustered and apologetic at the same time. Van de Velde did not allow him to continue but turned on Hop, who stood nervously behind the doctor, twisting his Hat in his fingers.
'Well, Hop, has the pirate succumbed yet? Has he told us what we want to know?' he shouted, and Hop retreated a pace.
'He is so stubborn. I would never have believed it possible, that any human being-' He broke off in a long, tormented stammer.
'I hold you responsible, Hop.' Van de Velde came menacingly from behind his desk. He was warming to this sport of baiting the miserable little clerk, but the surgeon intervened.
'Your excellency, I fear for the prisoner's life. Another day of questioning he may not survive it.'
Van de Velde rounded on him now. 'That, doctor, is the main object of this whole business. Courtney is a man condemned to death. He will die, and you have my solemn word on that.' He went back to his desk and lowered himself into the soft chair. 'Don't come here to give me news of his imminent decease. All I want to know from you is whether or not he is still capable of feeling pain, and if he is capable of speaking or at least giving some sign of understanding the question. Well, is he, doctor?' Van de Velde glared.
'Your excellency,' the doctor removed his eye-glasses and polished the lenses vigorously as he composed a reply. He knew what van de Velde wanted to hear, and he knew also that it was not politic to deny him. 'At the moment the prisoner is not cmnpos mentis.'
Van de Velde scowled and cut in, 'What of the executioner's vaunted skills? I thought he never lost a prisoner, not unintentionally anyway.'
'Sir, I am not disparaging the skills of the state executioner. I am sure that by tomorrow the prisoner will have recovered consciousness.'
'You mean that tomorrow he will be healthy enough to continue questioning?'
'Yes, your excellency. That is my opinion.'
'Well, Mijnheer, I will hold you to that. If the pirate dies before he can be formally executed in accordance with the judgement of the court, you will answer to me. The populace must see justice performed. It is no good the man passing peacefully away in a closed room below the walls. We want him out there on the Parade for all to see. I want an example made of him, do you understand?'
'Yes, your excellency.' The doctor backed towards the door.
'You too, Hop. Do you understand, dolt? I want to know where he has hidden the galleon's cargo, and then I want a good rousing execution. For your own good, you had better deliver both those things.'
'Yes, your excellency.'
'I want to speak to Slow John. Send him to me before he starts work tomorrow morning. I want to make certain that he fully understands his responsibilities.'
'I will bring the executioner to you myself,' Hop promised. it was dark when Hugo Barnard stopped work on the walls and ordered the lines of exhausted prisoners down into the courtyard. As Hal passed his father's cell on the way down the staircase, he called desperately to him, 'Father, can you hear me?'
When there was no reply, he hammered on the door with both his fists. 'Father, speak to me. In the name of God, speak to me!' For once Manseer was indulgent. He made no attempt to force Hal to move on down the staircase and Hal pleaded again, 'Please, Father. It's Hal, your son. Do you not know me?'
'Hal,' croaked a voice he did not recognize. 'Is that you, my boy?'
'Oh, God!' Hal sank to his knees and pressed his forehead to the panel. 'Yes, Father. It is me.'
'Be strong, my son. It will not be for much longer, but I charge you, if you love me, then keep the oath.'
'I cannot let you suffer. I cannot let this go on.'
'Hal!' His father's voice was suddenly powerful again. 'There is no more suffering. I have passed that point. They cannot hurt me now, except through you.'
'What can I do to ease you? Tell me, what can I do?' Hal pleaded.
'There is only one thing you can do now. Let me take with me the knowledge of your strength and your fortitude. If you fail me now, it will all have been in vain.'
Hal bit into the knuckles of his own clenched fist, drawing blood in the vain attempt to stifle his sobs. His father's voice came again.
'Daniel, are you there?'
'Yes, Captain.'
'Help him. Help my son to be a man.' 'I give you my promise, Captain.'
Hal raised his head, and his voice was stronger. 'I do not need anybody to help me. I will keep my faith with you, Father. I will not betray your trust.'
'Farewell, Hal.' Sir Francis's voice began to fade, as though he were falling into an infinite pit. 'You are my blood and my promise of eternal life. Goodbye, my life.'
The following morning when they carried Sir Francis up from the dungeon Hop and Doctor AT Soar walked on either side of the litter. They were both worried men, for there was no sign of life in the broken figure that lay between them. Even when Hal defied Barnard's whip, and called down to him from the walls, Sir Francis did not raise his head. They took him down the stairs to where Slow John already waited, but within a few minutes all three came out into the sunlight, Soar, Hop and Slow John, and stood talking quietly for a short while. Then they walked together across to the Governor's suite and mounted the stairs.
Van de Velde was standing by the stained-glass window, peering out at the shipping that lay anchored off the foreshore. Late the previous evening, another Company galleon had come into Table Bay and he was expecting the ship's captain to call upon him to pay his respects and to present an order for provisions and stores. Van de Velde turned impatiently from the window to face the three men as they filed into his chamber.
'Ja, Hop?' He looked at his favourite victim. 'You have remembered my orders, for once, hey? You have brought the state executioner to speak to me.' He turned to Slow John. 'So, has the pirate told you where he has hidden the treasure? Come on, fellow, speak up.'
Slow John's expression did not change as he said softly, 'I have worked carefully not to
