"Black, yes. He say: 'What you mean?' This fellow only say once more: 'Come outside.' The cook stand inside door and say: 'Yah! You someting cattleman!' and zees man heet him."
"Eh?"
"Heet."
"Oh yes, quite."
Pierre showed where, jabbing his own fist under his chin.
"He go down bang! And he get up and reach for——" and again he indicated the cleaver. "But zees man with big hat have valise like me. He give it to the baker to keep for him for a shilling——"
"A valise!" said Mike. "Go on."
"He jump inside baker's cabin, and he say: 'Partner, you give me my valise dam' quick!' He grab it from inside and bring out one revolver. Ze cook run past me and say: 'Where he go?' I say nozing—I am too excite. And zees man——" again he showed the breadth of hat—"there he is, throw down valise, and he say to the cook: 'You drop that,' he say. 'You get in galley.' And he follow the cook, and baker follow him. Ze baker do not like ze cook. All day ze cook shout at him: 'Baker, damn you, ze oven is hot. Baker, damn you, what about your bread? Baker, damn you, I'll put dis dough overboard if you do not come!' And zees man say to cook: 'You dance,' he say. 'You dance, you God-damn nigger! You tell your white vife you menshion about just now, you tell her I make you dance when you go home,' and ze baker laugh—and zen jump back where ze cook not see him laugh, for he is a small man with a cough, and ze cook is very large and ugly."
"And did he dance?" asked Mike.
"He try to dance!" Pierre shook his head. "No, not good. He kneel down, and ze man go away. By and by he look out and he say to me—he shake his fist at me—he say: 'By God, I report that man to Captain!' he say. 'You understand?' I say: 'Yes.' He shake his two fist at me and say again: 'By God, I report that man to Captain!' I say: 'Yes!'"