If you think I'm going to be kidnapped just to
fulfil your beastly warnings, you've made a mistake. I'll have the law
on you, that's what I'll do. Kidnapping's a punishable offence.'
"'What did you come here for, then?' ses the cap'n.
"'Come!' howls Cap'n Naskett. 'Come! A feller sneaks up alongside o' me
with a boat-load of street-sweepings dressed as sailors, and snaps me up
while I'm asleep, and you ask me what I come for. Look here. You clap on
all sail and catch that boat o' mine, and put me back, and I'll call it
quits. If you don't, I'll bring a law-suit agin you, and make you the
laughing-stock of two continents into the bargain.'
"Well, to make the best of a bad bargain, the cap'n sailed after the
cussed little boat, and Mr. Salmon, who thought more than enough time
had been lost already, fell foul o' Cap'n Naskett. They was both pretty
talkers, and the way they went on was a education for every sailorman
afloat. Every man aboard got as near as they durst to listen to them;
but I must say Cap'n Naskett had the best of it. He was a sarkastik man,
and pretended to think the ship was fitted out just to pick up
shipwrecked people, an' he also pretended to think we was castaways what
had been saved by it. He said o' course anybody could see at a glance we
wasn't sailormen, an' he supposed Mr.
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