“Keep going,” Charley whispered, “just as though you didn’t hear him.”
The next few moments were very anxious ones. The fisherman was studying us sharply, while we were gliding up on him every second.
“You keep off if you know what’s good for you!” he called out suddenly, as though he had made up his mind as to who and what we were. “If you don’t, I’ll fix you!”
He brought a rifle to his shoulder and trained it on me.
“Now will you keep off?” he demanded.
I could hear Charley groan with disappointment. “Keep off,” he whispered; “it’s all up for this time.”
I put up the tiller and eased the sheet, and the salmon boat ran off five or six points. Big Alec watched us till we were out of range, when he returned to his work.
“You’d better leave Big Alec alone,” Carmintel said, rather sourly, to Charley that night.
“So he’s been complaining to you, has he?” Charley said significantly.
Carmintel flushed painfully. “You’d better leave him alone, I tell you,” he repeated. “He’s a dangerous man, and it won’t pay to fool with him.”