“I had no superior officer at the time I ordered the removal.”
“You have now, at any rate.”
“We are not at sea, Captain Hill. The vessel is wrecked, and all distinctions are at an end. Now it is each for himself.”
“So, sir, you defy my authority!” exclaimed the captain, looking black.
“I don’t recognize it, that is all.”
“You shall, sir!” retorted the captain, frowning. “You shall learn, also, that I have means to enforce it. I have nearly a dozen seamen under me, and you have only the boy, Jack Pendleton.”
“Captain Hill, all this is very foolish. We are ship-wrecked, and have taken refuge on the same island. Instead of quarreling, we should help each other.”
“So you presume to lecture me!” sneered the captain.
Mr. Holdfast didn’t care to continue the dispute.
“I am ready to help you remove what you require,” he said, quietly. “It will be well to remove as much as possible today, for we may at any time have a storm, that will effectually put an end to our work.”