doctor again.

"Good five guineas better than five hundred got by buying and selling
your fellow-creatures," continued the captain, who was growing quite
fluent. "Go to Bristol with you! Won't do for me."

"Mr--I mean, Captain Chubb," began the doctor, "allow me to tell you
that you have done nothing but insult me ever since you have been here."

"Honesty," grunted the captain.

"Honesty is no excuse for rudeness, sir. Now have the goodness to go."

"Going," said the captain, rising. "But you are a bad man. To take
that boy with you too! Shame!"

"Will you have the goodness to tell me what you mean, sir?"

"No good to bully, sir. I know. Off on the slave trade."

"What!" cried the doctor.

"But look out. King's cruiser will nab you. Sarve you right."

He moved stiffly, and took two steps towards the door, but stopped and
turned sharply upon Rodd, clapped his big hairy hand on the boy's
shoulder, and gripped it fast. "He's a bad 'un, boy. Don't go." Rodd
glanced at his uncle, who was staring with bewilderment, while he, who
during the last few minutes had seen clearly what their visitor meant,
burst into another roar of laughter and gripped the skipper by the
jacket, as he turned to the doctor.

"No, no," he stuttered. "No, no; don't go, captain! Uncle Paul, can't
you see? He thinks you are going to the West Coast to buy slaves!"

"Well!" cried Uncle Paul, his voice sounding like ten ejaculations
squeezed into one--"Well!"

CHAPTER TEN.

AT CROSS PURPOSES.

Captain Chubb stood looking back at Uncle Paul, then at Rodd, then back
at Uncle Paul.

After that he gave a slow, puzzled scratch at his shaggy head as if hard
at work trying to make out a mystery, before turning once more to Rodd.

"I say, youngster," he cried, "you don't mean that, do you?--Warn't I
right?"

"Right? No!" cried Rodd, laughing more heartily than ever. "The idea
of Uncle Paul going out with a slaver!"

"Did you mean that, Captain Chubb?" said Uncle Paul, beginning
indignantly, and then softening down as he caught sight of his nephew's
mirthful face.

"Allus says what I mean," grunted the captain. "Then I was all wrong?"

"Wrong, yes," said Uncle Paul. "We were all at cross purposes."

"Ho!" ejaculated the captain, and he took off his cap that he had put on
with a fierce cock, turned it over two or three times in his hands, and
then looking into it read over the maker's name to himself, as if fully
e