“I never see sich a look on any man’s face as I saw on the mate’s then. Three times ’e opened ’is mouth to speak, and shut it agin without saying anything. The veins on ’is forehead swelled up tremendous and ’is cheeks was all blown out purple.
“That’s Bill Cousins’s hair,’ ses the skipper to himself. ‘It’s Bill Cousins’s hair. It’s Bill Cous—’
“Bob walked up to him, with Bill lagging a little way behind, and then he stops just in front of ’im and fetches up a sort o’ little smile.
“‘Don’t you make those faces at me, sir?’ roars the skipper. ‘What do you mean by it? What have you been doing to yourselves?’
“‘Nothin’, sir,’ ses Bill, ’umbly; ‘it was done to us.’
“The carpenter, who was just going to cooper up a cask which ’ad started a bit, shook like a leaf, and gave Bill a look that would ha’ melted a stone.
“‘Who did it?’ ses the skipper.
“‘We’ve been the wictims of a cruel outrage, sir,’ ses Bill, doing all ’e could to avoid the mate’s eye, which wouldn’t be avoided.
“‘So I should think,’ ses the skipper. ‘You’ve been knocked about, too.’
“‘Yessir,’ ses Bill, very respectful; ‘me and Bob was ashore last night, sir, just for a quiet look round, when we was set on to by five furriners.’