“What schooner was that in the cove, Ben?”

“I don’t know.”

“Where does she hail from?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are they fishermen?”

“No; thieves.”

“What did they come here for?”

“To see what they could get of me.”

“How many of them have you killed?”

“Well, I haven’t killed any of them outright; but there’s one of them never’ll do much more work, I reckon.”