“You impertinent rapscallion——”
“You queer little cockatoo, if you call me names I’ll hit you,” said Martin, quite coolly, but beginning to show fight; which so frightened me, that I caught his arm, saying:
“For heaven’s sake, come away.”
“Bother!” replied Martin, releasing himself, “We are not in the Dutch pay, and I don’t care a rap for his cockatooship.”
“Here, Hans,” cried the enraged midshipman, “tow that chap into the boat; the sloop’s short of powder-monkeys.” But as the man so-called advanced to obey the order, Martin darted past him, and struck the officer a blow that made him reel. This caused the latter to shout “Mutiny!” the sailors flourished their cutlasses, and the prahu’s men, with their creeses in their hands, prepared for a fight; but Martin, at once brought to a sense of the folly he had committed, and knowing the dangerous position he had placed us all in, cried:
“Stand back, no fighting. Let them take me on board the sloop, and if the captain is a gentleman, he will soon release me.”
“The young sahib is right—they cannot detain him; put up your creeses,” cried Prabu; then, addressing the midshipman again, he said:
“Sahib, by Mahommed I swear, we are only birds’-nesters;” but the middy, almost choking with rage, replied:
“Silence, you rogue! Pretty big birds they must be to require a couple of six-pounders to rob them of their nests.” Then, turning to his men, he added—“I’ll birds’-nest them. Off with the hatches, and let us examine their cargo.”
Now, officer and men had expected that this order would have caused a stout resistance on our side; guess, therefore, their surprise when Prabu himself led them into the hold, and, instead of the treasure we were supposed to have as pirates, they saw nothing but sacks of foul-smelling, muddy, and slimy swallows’-nests. The men were dumfounded, and as ignorant as their officer, for, perhaps, none of them had ever been in these seas before.