“That’s true enough,” said the lieutenant. “Well, what of that? A king’s ship well-armed would keep a larger tribe than yours quiet!”
“Oh! Oh!” came from the group of natives.
“Yes, I repeat it,” said the lieutenant sharply. “They can understand English, then?”
“Of course they do,” said the tattooed man calmly, though he looked uneasily at the group; “and as to your ship, sir, what’s the good of that if we were to fight you ashore?”
“Do you want to fight, then?” said the lieutenant sharply.
“It doesn’t seem like it, when I’ve kept my tribe peaceful toward all your crew, and made them trade honestly.”
“Out of respect to our guns.”
“Can you bring your guns along the valleys and up into the mountains?”
“No; but we can bring plenty of well-drilled fighting men.”
“Oh! Oh!” came in quite a long-drawn groan.