“Shove off!” he growled. Then he turned to the trader. “Where’s this fracas to be, and what’s it about? What am I fighting for, you nigger-thief?” And he broke into a high, cackling laugh, while his face hardly changed in expression, his fishy eyes roving in their gaze toward the beach.
We gave way with a will, and were out of hailing distance of the barque before Hicks appeared on deck. I could see him waving, but, as the captain sat with his back facing aft steering, I thought it was little use to call his attention to the matter.
We were heading, under the trader’s guidance, to a spot on the shore out of sight of the town, and in a little cove where there was no surf from the heave of the swell. Here the craft was beached, and we sprang out to drag her up. Then the trader and our skipper stepped ashore. Out from a thicket of laurel sprang a trio of men, all wearing the Portuguese uniform, and then I recognized one of them as the dago officer who had been talking to the trader the evening before, and whom our old captain had cursed so villainously. Under the arm of a younger man was a bunch of swords, such as were used at the time for fencing in the army,--little long, thin blades of the rapier pattern, and sharp as needles.
“Sorry to have kept you folks waitin’ so long,” said Yankee Dan, “but the old man had overslept himself. I reckon he’ll fight fast enough. We’re ready when you say the word.”
The younger officer passed him the hilts of a couple of rapiers, and politely begged that he try their temper and make a choice.
While he did so, our old skipper tossed aside his coat, and stood forth in a none too clean shirt and flowing trousers, held up by a broad leathern sword-belt. This he began to unbuckle unconcernedly, and, as he finished, he wrapped it around the scabbard of his hanger and drew forth the blade.
“I haven’t much time to waste on these Guineas,” said he, breaking into a sudden cackling laugh which ended abruptly. His face wore the same mahogany mask-like look it always presented, and his eyes were lustreless and fixed as those of a dead mackerel. “If there’s any game goin’, let it start, for we’ve a job in the offing to attend to.”
“Here,” said the trader, presenting him the hilt of a rapier he had chosen, “drop that meat-axe and bear a hand. We’ll settle our little affair later.”
“I’ll settle you, if you don’t sheer off,” growled Howard. “If the dago wants to fence, let him come in. This is the sword for me, and, if he’s finky about it, I’ll chase him clean up his chimney before he’ll get clear of it.”
Yankee Dan threw down his sword in disgust.