'I go one petter, moreover,' said one of them.
'I see you, and go two better,' said a man with a Newcastle burr in his speech.
Then Ryder took a hand.
'And I see you,' he remarked. They dropped their cards and jumped to their feet.
'What are you doing here?' he demanded. And there wasn't a word from one of them: they looked as sheepish as four stowaways interviewing the skipper before a crowd of passengers.
'Get on deck,' said Ryder. And much to M'Gill's astonishment, the addition to the crew appeared with the captain behind them.
'Divide this lot among the watches,' said Ryder.
Leaving M'Gill 'to tumble to the racket,' he walked to the mate's berth and explained to him that henceforth the Star of the South would go about as easy by day as by night.
'Then they're not dead?' cried Semple.
'Not by a jugful,' said Ryder, nodding.