Shiver my timbers, I oughtn't to tell
you, but d--n you, hit him if you can." "Admiral," said Henry, "I can hardly think you are even preserving a
neutrality in the matter, putting aside my own partisanship as regards
your own man." "Oh, hang him. I'm not going to let him creep out of the thing on such a
shabby pretence. I can tell you. I think I ought to have gone to his
house this morning; only, as I said I never would cross his threshold
again, I won't." "I wonder if he'll come," said Mr Marchdale to Henry. "After all, you
know he may take to flight, and shun an encounter which, it is evident,
he has entered into but tardily." "I hope not," said Henry, "and yet I must own that your supposition has
several times crossed my mind. If, however, he do not meet me, he never
can appear at all in the country, and we should, at least, be rid of
him, and all his troublesome importunities concerning the Hall. I would
not allow that man, on any account, to cross the threshold of my house,
as its tenant or its owner." "Why, it ain't usual," said the admiral, "to let ones house to two
people at once, unless you seem quite to forget that I've taken yours. I
may as well remind you of it." "Hurra" said Jack Pringle, at this moment. "What's the matter with you? Who told you to hurra?" "Enemy in the offing," said Jack, "three or four pints to the sou-west." "So he is, by Jove! dodging about among the trees. Come, now, this
vampyre's a decenter fellow than I thought him. He means, after all, to
let us have a pop at him." They had now reached so close to the spot, that Sir Francis Varney, who,
to all appearance, had been waiting, emerged from among the trees,
rolled up in his dismal-looking cloak, and, if possible, looking longer
and thinner than ever he had looked before. His face wore a singular cadaverous looking aspect. His very lips were
white and there was a curious, pinkish-looking circle round each of his
eyes, that imparted to his whole countenance a most uninviting
appearance. He turned his eyes from one to the other of those who were
advancing towards him, until he saw the admiral, upon which he gave such
a grim and horrible smile, that the old man exclaimed,--

"I say, Jack, you lubber, there's a face for a figure head." "Ay, ay, sir." "Did you ever see such a d----d grin as that in your life, in any
latitude?" "Ay, ay, sir." "You did you swab." "I should think so." "It's a lie, and you know it." "Very good," said Jack, "don't you recollect when that ere iron bullet
walked over your head, leaving a nice little nick, all the way off
Bergen-ap-Zoom, that was the time--blessed if you didn't give just such
a grin as that." "I didn't, you rascal." "And I say you did." "Mutiny, by God!" "Go to blazes!" How far this contention might have gone, having now reached its
culminating point, had the admiral and Jack been alone, it is hard to
say; but as it was, Henry and Marchdale interfered, and so the quarrel
was patched up for the moment, in order to give place to more important
affairs. Varney seemed to think, that after the smiling welcome he had given to
his second, he had done quite enough; for there he stood, tall, and
gaunt, and motionless, if we may except an occasional singular movement
of the mouth, and a clap together of his teeth, at times, which was
enough to make anybody jump to hear. "For Heaven's sake," said Marchdale, "do not let us trifle at such a
moment as this. Mr. Pringle, you really had no business here." "Mr. who?" said Jack. "Pringle, I believe, is your name?" returned Marchdale. "It were; but blowed if ever I was called mister before." The admiral walked up to Sir Francis Varney, and gave him a nod that
looked much more like one of defiance than of salutation, to which the
vampyre replied by a low, courtly bow. "Oh, bother!" muttered the old admiral. "If I was to double up my
backbone like that, I should never get it down straight again. Well,
all's right; you've come; that's all you could do, I suppose." "I am here," said Varney, "and therefore it becomes a work of
supererogation to remark that I've come." "Oh! does it? I never bolted a dictionary, and, therefore, I don't know
exactly what you mean." "Step aside with me a moment, Admiral Bell, and I will tell you what you
are to do with me after I am shot, if such should be my fate." "Do with you! D----d if I'll do anything with you." "I don't expect you will regret me; you will eat." "Eat!" "Yes, and drink as usual, no doubt, notwithstanding being witness to the
decease of a fellow-creature." "Belay there; don't call yourself a fellow-creature of mine; I ain't a
vampyre." "But there's no knowing what you may be; and now listen to my
instructions; for as you're my second, you cannot very well refuse to me
a few friendly offices. Rain is falling. Step beneath this ancient tree,
and I will talk to you." CHAPTER XXXIX. THE STORM AND THE FIGHT.-THE ADMIRAL'S REPUDIATION OF HIS PRINCIPAL. [Illustration]

"Well," said the admiral, when they were fairly under the tree, upon the
leaves of which the pattering rain might be heard falling: "well--what
is it?" "If your young friend, Mr. Bannerworth, should chance to send a
pistol-bullet through any portion of my anatomy, prejudicial to the
prolongation of my existence, you will be so good as not to interfere
with anything I may have about me, or to make any disturbance whatever." "You may depend I sha'n't." "Just take the matter perfectly easy--as a thing of course." "Oh! I mean d----d easy." "Ha! what a delightful thing is friendship! There is a little knoll or
mound of earth midway between here and the Hall. Do you happen to know
it? There is one solitary tree glowing near its summit--an oriental
looking tree, of the fir tribe, which, fan-like, spreads its deep green
leaves; across the azure sky." "Oh! bother it; it's a d----d old tree, growing upon a little bit of a
hill, I suppose you mean?" "Precisely; only much more poetically expressed. The moon rises at a
quarter past four to-night, or rather to-morrow, morning." "Does it?" "Yes; and if I should happen to be killed, you will have me removed
gently to this mound of earth, and there laid beneath this tree, with my
face upwards; and take care that it is done before the moon rises. You
can watch that no one interferes." "A likely job. What the deuce do you take me for? I tell you what it is,
Mr. Vampyre, or Varney, or whatever's your name, if you should chance to
be hit, where-ever you chance to fall, there you'll lie." "How very unkind." "Uncommon, ain't it?" "Well, well, since that is your determination, I must take care of
myself in another way. I can do so, and I will." "Take care of yourself how you like, for all I care; I've come here to
second you, and to see that, on the honour of a seaman, if you are put
out of the world, it's done in a proper manner, that's all I have to do
with you--now you know."