"A what?"
"A crank."
"What's a crank?"
"A fool."
"You call me a fool?"
"Yes."
The detective rose to his feet, assumed a fierce expression and retorted:
"You're another."
The master of the "Nancy" had expected an assault when the countryman assumed such a threatening attitude, and was compelled to laugh when the danger simmered down to a mere retort.
Ike Denman was amusing himself, and so was the detective.