He sat with one arm akimbo, the
other elbow on the table, the hand holding on to the small pipe he
was pettishly puffing, his legs crossed, drumming with one foot on
the ground, and casting every now and then the side glance of a
basilisk at the prosing captain. At length the latter spoke of
Kidd's having ascended the Hudson with some of his crew, to land
his plunder in secrecy.
Kidd up the Hudson!" burst forth the seaman, with a tremendous
oath; "Kidd never was up the Hudson!"
"I tell you he was," said the other. "Aye, and they say he buried
a quantity of treasure on the little flat that runs out into the
river, called the Devil's Dans Kammer."[1]
[1] A huge, flat rock, projecting into the Hudson River above the
Highlands.
"The Devil's Dans Kammer in your teeth!"[1] cried the seaman. "I
tell you Kidd never was up the Hudson. What a plague do you know
of Kidd and his haunts?"
[1] "In your teeth," a phrase to denote direct opposition or
defiance.
"What do I know?" echoed the half-pay officer. "Why, I was in
London at the time of his trial; aye, and I had the pleasure of
seeing him hanged at Execution Dock.
Pages:
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314