Chapter Forty.
“Defence, not defiance.”
“What did you say? Oh yes, I remember. It has come out all right; but we shall have them in here directly, after us.”
“What’s that?” said the skipper, who overheard his words. “I hope not, and I doubt of their getting within shot. Here, Burgess.”
“Hallo!” growled the mate, and he came slowly up, looking, as Poole afterwards said, like the proverbial bear with a sore head.
“Here’s Mr Burnett prophesying all kinds of evil things about us.”
“Ah!” growled the mate. “He didn’t know any better. I never prophesy till after the thing has taken place. What did he say?”
“That we shall have the gunboat in here after us directly. What do you say to that?”
The mate’s sour countenance expanded into a broad smile, and he came close up to the middy and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Good lad,” he said. “I hope you are right.”