Page 395 - moby-dick

men in the rigging—‘for you, I mean to mince ye up for the
try-pots;’ and, seizing a rope, he applied it with all his might
to the backs of the two traitors, till they yelled no more,
but lifelessly hung their heads sideways, as the two crucified
thieves are drawn.
‘‘My wrist is sprained with ye!’ he cried, at last; ‘but
there is still rope enough left for you, my fine bantam, that
wouldn’t give up. Take that gag from his mouth, and let us
hear what he can say for himself.’
‘For a moment the exhausted mutineer made a tremulous
motion of his cramped jaws, and then painfully twisting
round his head, said in a sort of hiss, ‘What I say is this—
and mind it well—if you flog me, I murder you!’
‘‘Say ye so? then see how ye frighten me’—and the Cap-
tain drew off with the rope to strike.
‘‘Best not,’ hissed the Lakeman.
‘‘But I must,’—and the rope was once more drawn back
for the stroke.
‘Steelkilt here hissed out something, inaudible to all but
the Captain; who, to the amazement of all hands, started
back, paced the deck rapidly two or three times, and then
suddenly throwing down his rope, said, ‘I won’t do it—let
him go—cut him down: d’ye hear?’
But as the junior mates were hurrying to execute the
order, a pale man, with a bandaged head, arrested them—
Radney the chief mate. Ever since the blow, he had lain in
his berth; but that morning, hearing the tumult on the deck,
he had crept out, and thus far had watched the whole scene.
Such was the state of his mouth, that he could hardly speak;

Moby Dick