"Then you're a leir."
"A leir, d'ye say? Then I say beggared a one!"
"Another thing: d'ye mean to tell me, Mark, that a mother doesn't know her own son?"
"Beggared a one," replied Mark.
"D'ye say that again?" said Rush; "I tell you, when a woman puts her arms around her son's neck, d'ye think she doesn't know it's her son?"
Mark by this time is also frothing at the mouth; and, standing in a bellicose attitude, hisses:
"I says 'beggared a one.' Roger's not the man!"
Rush becomes speechless, and his eyes flash with anger, and he flings the Englishman at Mark, who in turn calls his friend, "Coward; that's the only argument you have. I tell you again, Roger's not the man!"
"Who are you?" retorted Rush; "do you think yourself the Lord High Admiral Dundas, then?"
"No," said the excited Mark; "I'm Mark Grips, one of Jimmy Young's skippers, and I tell ye Roger never was the man!"