"You leave that alone," said the lad in a broken voice. "It hain't your business."
"Mine, or the captain's business, Willie. Wouldn't you rather deal with me, lad, eh?"
"Well, if you got to know—my father done my mammie in with his belt knife, and then 'e killed hisself. I found 'em dead, I did." The lad's face was drawn and ghastly now. "I locked the cabin up——"
"Why?"
"D'ye think I hain't got no pride? D'ye think I vants strangers peeping and prying down that 'atch, and smellin' around my fambily affairs? Well, I don't." Then defiantly, "And I doesn't thank you for interfering neither!"
Mr. Dodd was a man first, an officer when he called to mind his duty. He saw no insubordination here, but only honesty and manly self-respect. He did not know that the old man was listening within the cabin hatchway.
"Who told you, sir?" Bill challenged, flushing with sudden temper, his fists clenched, his jaw thrust out, his anger mounting steadily. "Is that the paper you got from Silas? Eh? So that's the game! I'll see to him."
Shaking with passion the lad flashed round, looked out for Silas, saw him, and leaped like a wild beast. "You ... take that!" he yelled, launching his fist in the Yankee's face, dislodging teeth, then drawing back for a space to get his full strength into the second blow. But the American, snarling with rage and pain, whipped out his belt knife, and crouching low, ripped upwards with the blade.
"Ma mannie," Jock was saying, "calm yourself," as he tripped the Yankee headlong into the scappers. "Belay all that!" he added. The Yorkshireman seized the knife, and the Iroquois, with a long leap, jumped Silas to hold him down. The negro cook held Bill, who raged to get at his enemy again, screaming, "Leave go! Leave go!"
"What's all this? Now, what's all this about?" Captain Home, attended by the mate and the boatswain, came surging along the gangway. "I'll show who's master here!" He pointed to Auld Jock, and ordered the bos'n to "clap that man in irons!" The bos'n laughed. "What, sir!" asked the mate. "For saving a man's life?"