"'Bully for you, stranger! You're a dandy! Durned if I ever guessed——'
"'Hush!' I said, fearing lest his strange manners should arouse suspicion; and he stopped and put his hand back into his revolver pocket in readiness for emergencies, while I turned to the President, saying, 'Your Excellency's reply?'
"He shrugged his shoulders, laughed, pretended to think that I was joking with him. I went on sternly—
"'Your Excellency must understand that, though I speak in the polished phrases of diplomatic intercourse, my demand is, in fact, of the nature of an ultimatum, failure to comply with which will entail a rupture of amicable relations.'
"Not knowing what else to say, the President said that the rupture of friendly relations would be painful to him.
"'It will be the more painful,' I said, pointing through the open window to where our steamer flew the Union Jack. 'It will be the more painful in that its first consequence will be the bombardment of this port, and the destruction of all the public buildings.'
"For the first time in the course of the interview the President began to show his temper.
"'It might also result,' he said, 'in your being taken straight out into the courtyard, blindfolded, and shot.'
"Captain Shagg caught the essential word 'shot,' and once more interposed.
"'Shall I draw?' he said. 'It's wonderful how reasonable a man'll get sometimes when you have got the draw on him.'