Their leader made his proposal at once.  “All right-a, Captain, I see how you want.  We take charge now, and take-a you into Ferrol without you being at more trouble.”

“Nothing of the kind,” said Kettle.  “I’m just wanting the loan of two or three hands to give my fellows a spell or two at that pump.  We’re a bit short-handed, that’s all.  But otherwise we’re quite comfortable.  I’ll pay A.B.’s wages on Liverpool scale, and that’s a lot more than you Dagos give amongst yourselves, and if the men work well I’ll throw in a dash besides for ‘bacca money.’”

[Illustration:  HE PICKED UP THE MAN AND SENT HIM AFTER THE KNIFE.]

“Ta-ta-ta,” said the Portuguese, with a wave of his yellow fist.  “It cannot be done, and I will not lend you men.  It shall do as I say; we take-a you into Ferroll.  Do not fear-a, captain; you shall have money for finding sheep; you shall have some of our salvage.”

Dayton-Philipps, who was standing near, and knew the little sailor’s views, looked for an outbreak.  But Kettle held himself in, and still spoke to the man civilly.

“That’s good English you talk,” he said.  “Do all your crowd understand the language?”

“No,” said the fellow, readily enough, “that man does not, nor does him, nor him.”

“Right—­oh!” said Kettle.  “Then, as those three man can’t kick up a bobbery at the other end, they’ve just got to stay here and help work this vessel home.  And as for the rest of you filthy, stinking, scale-covered cousins of apes, over the side you go before you’re put.  Thought you were going to steal my lawful salvage, did you, you crawling, yellow-faced—­ah!”

The hot-tempered Portuguese was not a man to stand this tirade (as Kettle anticipated) unmoved.  His fingers made a vengeful snatch toward the knife in his belt, but Kettle was ready for this, and caught it first and flung it overboard.  Then with a clever heave he picked up the man and sent him after the knife.

He tripped up one of the Portuguese who couldn’t speak English, dragged him to the cabin companion, and toppled him down the ladder.  Dayton-Philipps (surprised at himself for abetting such lawlessness) captured a second in like fashion, and the English fireman and coal-trimmer picked up the third and dropped him down an open hatchway on to the grain in the hold beneath.

But there were six of the fishermen left upon the deck, and these did not look upon the proceedings unmoved.  They had been slow to act at first, but when the initial surprise was over, they were blazing with rage and eager to do murder.  The Italian and the Sierra Leone nigger ran out of their way on to the forecastle head, and they came on, vainglorious in numbers, and armed with their deadly knives.  But the two English roughs, the English gentleman, and the little English sailor, were all of them men well accustomed to take care of their own skins; the belaying pins out of the pinrail seemed to come by instinct into their hands, and not one of them got so much as a scratch.