"Where bes yer boat?" asked the other.
"In Witless Bay, you fool! Do you think I carried it across my back?"
The skipper swung the lantern back and glanced at the soles of the other's boots.
"Ye bes a liar—and a desperate poor one at that," he said. "Where bes yer boat?"
John Darling lost his temper. He disliked being forced into telling a lie—and, being human, he disliked still more to have the lie discovered and the effort wasted.
"Go to hell and find it, you black-faced pirate!" he roared.
The skipper stopped, glared down at him, and swung his right hand back for a blow.
"Hit away, I'm tied," said the other, without flinching.
The skipper let his hand sink to his side.
"I don't hit a tied man. That bain't my way," he said, flushing darkly.