Mascola blinked under the bright rays. Seated beside him was another man who leaned closer into the shadow of the fishing-boat.
"I want you to move," Mascola said thickly. "My men were here first. Plenty of fish at San Anselmo. Many as here. If you go to the other island there will be no trouble."
"And if we stay?"
Mascola's passenger looked up quickly at Gregory's words, and the light fell full upon his face.
It was Bandrist.
"I hope you will not decide to stay," he said slowly. "As I have told you before, I'm not seeking trouble on this island. Mascola's men have been drinking too much and are ugly. A supply-boat arrived to-day from the mainland with too much liquor. I am having some difficulty with my own men. I hope you will help us avoid trouble."
Gregory answered them at once.
"If there is any trouble, it will be of your making. The ocean is free to all. We are interfering with no one's rights. We're here. The fish are here. And here we're going to stay."
"I'll show you, you——"