Presently his eyes recovered something of their natural glow, and with contracted brow he fixed them upon the stream of blood which was running from him over the deck.
Suddenly he spoke sharply: "Young fellow," he said, "some paper and a pen, a pencil, anything.

Quick!" Dickory looked at him in amazement for a moment and then he ran into the cabin, soon returning with a sheet of paper and an English pencil.
The eyes of Captain Vince were now very bright, and a nervous strength came into his body.

He raised himself upon his elbow, he clutched at the paper, and clapping it upon the deck began to write.

Quickly his pencil moved; already he was feeling that his rum-given strength was leaving him, but several pages he wrote, and then he signed his name.

Folding the sheet he stopped for a moment, feeling that he could do no more; but, gathering together his strength in one convulsive motion, he addressed the letter.
"Take that," he feebly said, "and swear ...