"What harm is there in that? Is it against the law?"
"I should rather say it was. There's a duty of ten dollars a pound on one, and the others aren't allowed in at any price."
"Then I don't see how we are any different from regular smugglers."
"That's what some folks call us," replied Bonny, with a grin. "They are mostly on the other side, though. In Victoria they call us free-traders."
"It doesn't make any difference what anybody calls us," retorted Alaric, vehemently, "so long as we ourselves know what we are. It was a mean thing, Bonny Brooks, that you didn't tell me this before we started."
"Look here, Rick Dale! do you pretend you didn't know after seeing the 'chinks' and the 'dope' and all that was going on? Oh, come, that's too thin!"
"I don't care whether it's thin or thick," rejoined Alaric, stoutly. "I didn't know that I was shipping to become a pirate, or you may be very certain I'd have sat on that log till I starved before going one step with you."
"What do you mean by calling me a pirate?" demanded Bonny, indignantly. "I'm no more a pirate than you are, for all your fine airs."
In his excitement Bonny had so raised his voice that it reached the ears of Captain Duff, who growled out fiercely, "Stow yer jaw, ye young swabs, and keep a sharp lookout for'ard—d'ye hear?"
"Ay, ay, sir!" responded the young mate, rising as though to end the conversation, and peering keenly into the gloom.