'I'll have them arrested,' said Ticehurst.
Sedgwick shrugged his shoulders.
'They'll have to be found. And judging by what happened to the Heather Bell, if the United States put them on board, the State of Oregon will take them off. There are two sets of laws here, and State law has the pull. And Healy has the pull on the State law as administered by elected judges.'
'We'll see,' said Ticehurst, who thought he knew a little. He was about to learn more. 'We'll see.'
'So you will,' said the consul.
'At any rate, four of my men are teetotalers,' said Ticehurst, 'and some of those who are not are not quite such fools as most sailors. I believe I've fixed Healy this time.'
But in the morning he was four men short, and the comedy began.
Yet Ticehurst did not lose his temper. He was as cool as the top of Mount Hood to the eastward.
'Work the men easy, Mr. Williams,' he said, 'work 'em easy. Just keep 'em going. Remember this is going to be a game, and the counters are men. A hard word may spoil me, and I want you to be popular. Do you understand?'
The mate sighed.