"Here's a kettle of fish!" said Kidd, pulling his chin whisker in perplexity as he and his fellow-pirates gathered about the captain to discuss the situation."I'm blessed if in all my experience I ever sailed athwart anything like it afore! Pirating with a lot of low-down ruffians like you gentlemen is bad enough, but on a craft loaded to the water's edge with advanced women--I've half a mind to turn back.""If you do, you swim--we'll not turn back with you," retorted Abeuchapeta, whom, in honor of his prowess, Kidd had appointed executive officer of the House-boat."I have no desire to be mutinous, Captain Kidd, but I have not embarked upon this enterprise for a pleasure sail down the Styx.I am out for business.If you had thirty thousand women on board, still should I not turn back.""But what shall we do with 'em?" pleaded Kidd."Where can we go without attracting attention? Who's going to feed 'em? Who's going to dress 'em? Who's going to keep 'em in bonnets? You don't know anything about these creatures, my dear Abeuchapeta; and, by-the-way, can't we arbitrate that name of yours? It would be fearful to remember in the excitement of a fight.""Call him Ab," suggested Sir Henry Morgan, with an ill-concealed sneer, for he was deeply jealous of Abeuchapeta's preferral.
"If you do I'll call you Morgue, and change your appearance to fit,"retorted Abeuchapeta, angrily.
"By the beards of all my sainted Buccaneers," began Morgan, springing angrily to his feet, "I'll have your life!""Gentlemen! Gentlemen--my noble ruffians!" expostulated Kidd.
"Come, come; this will never do! I must have no quarrelling among my aides.This is no time for divisions in our councils.An entirely unexpected element has entered into our affairs, and it behooveth us to act in concert.It is no light matter--""Excuse me, captain," said Abeuchapeta, "but that is where you and Ido not agree.We've got our ship and we've got our crew, and in addition we find that the Fates have thrown in a hundred or more women to act as ballast.Now I, for one, do not fear a woman.We can set them to work.There is plenty for them to do keeping things tidy; and if we get into a very hard fight, and come out of the melee somewhat the worse for wear, it will be a blessing to have 'em along to mend our togas, sew buttons on our uniforms, and darn our hosiery."Morgan laughed sarcastically."When did you flourish, if ever, colonel?" he asked.
"Do you refer to me?" queried Abeuchapeta, with a frown.
"You have guessed correctly," replied Morgan, icily."I have quite forgotten your date; were you a success in the year one, or when?""Admiral Abeuchapeta, Sir Henry," interposed Kidd, fearing a further outbreak of hostilities--"Admiral Abeuchapeta was the terror of the seas in the seventh century, and what he undertook to do he did, and his piratical enterprises were carried on on a scale of magnificence which is without parallel off the comic-opera stage.He never went forth without at least seventy galleys and a hundred other vessels."Abeuchapeta drew himself up proudly."Six-ninety-eight was my great year," he said.
"That's what I thought," said Morgan."That is to say, you got your ideas of women twelve hundred years ago, and the ladies have changed somewhat since that time.I have great respect for you, sir, as a ruffian.I have no doubt that as a ruffian you are a complete success, but when it comes to 'feminology' you are sailing in unknown waters.The study of women, my dear Abeuchadnezzar--""Peta," retorted Abeuchapeta, irritably.
"I stand corrected.The study of women, my dear Peter," said Morgan, with a wink at Conrad, which fortunately the seventh-century pirate did not see, else there would have been an open break--"the study of women is more difficult than that of astronomy; there may be two stars alike, but all women are unique.Because she was this, that, or the other thing in your day does not prove that she is any one of those things in our day--in fact, it proves the contrary.Why, Iventure even to say that no individual woman is alike.""That's rather a hazy thought," said Kidd, scratching his head in a puzzled sort of way.