“But I don’t understand,” Sheldon said.

“This is the way she worked it.  When the Martha was floated, we had to beach her right away at the head of the bay, and whilst repairs were going on, a new rudder being made, sails bent, gear recovered from the niggers, and so forth, Miss Lackland borrows Sparrowhawk to run the Flibberty along with Curtis, lends me Brahms to take Sparrowhawk’s place, and starts both craft off recruiting.  My word, the niggers came easy.  It was virgin ground.  Since the Scottish Chiefs, no recruiter had ever even tried to work the coast; and we’d already put the fear of God into the niggers’ hearts till the whole coast was quiet as lambs.  When we filled up, we came back to see how the Martha was progressing.”

“And thinking we was going home with our recruits,” Sparrowhawk slipped in.  “Lord lumme, that Miss Lackland ain’t never satisfied.  ’I’ll take ‘em on the Martha,’ says she, ‘and you can go back and fill up again.’”

“But I told her it couldn’t be done,” Munster went on.  “I told her the Martha hadn’t a license for recruiting.  ‘Oh,’ she said, ’it can’t be done, eh?’ and she stood and thought a few minutes.”

“And I’d seen her think before,” cried Sparrowhawk, “and I knew at wunst that the thing was as good as done.”

Munster lighted his cigarette and resumed.

“‘You see that spit,’ she says to me, ’with the little ripple breaking around it?  There’s a current sets right across it and on it.  And you see them bafflin’ little cat’s-paws?  It’s good weather and a falling tide.  You just start to beat out, the two of you, and all you have to do is miss stays in the same baffling puff and the current will set you nicely aground.’”

“’That little wash of sea won’t more than start a sheet or two of copper,’ says she, when Munster kicked,” Sparrowhawk explained.  “Oh, she’s no green un, that girl.”

“‘Then I’ll rescue your recruits and sail away—­simple, ain’t it?’ says she,” Munster continued. “‘You hang up one tide,’ says she; ’the next is the big high water.  Then you kedge off and go after more recruits.  There’s no law against recruiting when you’re empty.’  ’But there is against starving ’em,’ I said; ’you know yourself there ain’t any kai-kai to speak of aboard of us, and there ain’t a crumb on the Martha.’”

“We’d all been pretty well on native kai-kai, as it was,” said Sparrowhawk.

“‘Don’t let the kai-kai worry you, Captain Munster,’ says she; ’if I can find grub for eighty-four mouths on the Martha, the two of you can do as much by your two vessels.  Now go ahead and get aground before a steady breeze comes up and spoils the manoeuvre.  I’ll send my boats the moment you strike.  And now, good-day, gentlemen.’”