"What fight are you speaking of, monsieur?" asked Suzanne, in her turn, no less amazed.
"Why, a desperate fight, a fight to the death," whispered Segoffin, "with a merchant who didn't find our goods to his taste, but M. Cloarek and I finally succeeded so well in bringing him around to our way of thinking that he ended by taking a hundred pieces from us—"
"What on earth is the fellow talking about, my dear ladies?" cried M. Verduron, who had tried several times to interrupt Segoffin, but in vain. "Has my worthy friend gone stark, staring mad?"
"Mad!" exclaimed Segoffin, in a voice of thunder. Then advancing toward M. Verduron, he said, in threatening tones:
"You call me a madman, do you, you old rascal!"
For the fact is the head gunner, finding himself at the end of his resources, and despairing of averting the evil moment much longer, had resolved upon heroic measures; so, taking advantage of the amazement of the ship owner, who was very naturally stupefied by this sudden change of manner, Segoffin continued, in still more violent tones:
"Yes, you are an insolent old rascal, and if you try any more of your impudence on me, I'll shake you out of your boots."
"Segoffin, what are you saying, in Heaven's name?" cried Sabine, all of a tremble.
"What! you have the audacity to speak to me in this way, and in the presence of ladies, too!" exclaimed the ship owner.
"Take mademoiselle away from here at once," Segoffin said to Suzanne, sotto voce. "We are going to have a row, and it will be sure to throw her into a spasm. Get her away, get her away at once, I say."