I have thought if
there be any way to spare his life, and leave this hour's agony to read a
lesson not to be unlearned until the grave. For such poltroons dread
death, and in one hour they die a hundred times. But there is no way out:
his life lies in the scale against the lives of all our men, yes, and thy
life too. They left him in my hands well knowing I should take account of
him; and am I now to play them false and turn him loose again to hang
them all? It cannot be.'
Still I pleaded hard for Maskew's life, hanging on Elzevir's arm, and
using every argument that I could think of to soften his purpose; but he
pushed me off; and though I saw that he was loth to do it, I had a
terrible conviction that he was not a man to be turned back from his
resolve, and would go through with it to the end.
We came back together from the brambles to the piece of sward, and there
sat Maskew where we had left him with his back against the stone. Only,
while we were away he had managed to wriggle his watch out of the fob,
and it lay beside him on the turf, tied to him with a black silk riband.
The face of it was turned upwards, and as I passed I saw the hand pointed
to five. Sunrise was very near; for though the cliff shut out the east
from us, the west over Portland was all aglow with copper-red and gold,
and the candle burnt low.
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