“Blast you! what is it?”
“Did you get a clip?”
“No, you infernal fool; but you came within an inch of my ear, and I fired before I put the ball in my pistol. You owe me a shot.”
“It’ll be a hard debt to collect, mate, for I’ll be stove endways before we try that again. Here comes Easyman with the men now.”
As he spoke there was a rush of feet, and the two sailors, followed by the missionary and a crowd of half-sober natives, burst into the room below.
“Hello aloft, there!” sung out a sailor.
“What’s the matter?” asked Garnett, quietly, from the opening above.
“Have you done him any harm?” asked the missionary, in a voice that showed him to be a man of action when necessary.
“No,” answered Gantline; “there’s nothing happened.”
A lantern flashed in the room, and in a moment Father Easyman was upon the ladder.