"Wish we was
twice as many, and had a good-sized gun in the bows."

"Why, it would kick the boat all to pieces, or sink her," I said.

"Oh, that wouldn't matter, sir."

"But it's some one else's boat that we've borrowed," I said, with a
laugh.

"Ay, so it is; I forgot, sir. But we ain't got a gun, and I'm afraid we
can't take them two junks alone."

"So am I, Tom Jecks," I said; "but we can follow them."

"Arter we've had another naval engagement, sir. I say, look astern; I
do like the impidence of these here savages, chasing on us like this,
and they're gaining on us fast."

"No; only just holding their own."

"Gaining, sir."

"No."

"Yes, sir."

I took a long look back at the boat, and counted the black caps and
flattened limpet-shaped straw hats of the blue-jacketed men on board.

"Seven of 'em," I said half aloud.

"Eight, sir; I counted 'em twice. One on 'em is a-lying down now, but
he was a-setting up a little while ago. Afraid we shall open fire, I
expect."

"And that's what we shall have to do," I said. "A rifle bullet or two
sent over their heads would make them give up."

"But they arn't pirates, sir, and you mustn't fire at 'em. Look at that
now."

The pursuing boat was about two hundred yards behind us, and one of the
Chinamen now stood up in the bows, holding on by a stay, waving his
straw hat and gesticulating furiously.

"All right, Mr Shing po Num, or whatever your name is," said the
coxswain in a low voice, "can't stop this time, we're in a hurry."

The man kept on gesticulating.

"Can't you hear what I say?" continued Jecks in a whisper. "We're in a
hurry. Say, sir, that's the chap as belongs to our boat--I mean his
boat, and he's getting wilder and wilder now to see us carry it off.
Say, sir, arn't it a bit--what you may call it--to take it away?"

"A bit what?"

"Well, sir, what do you grand folks call it when some one does what
we're a-doing on?"

"Unkind."

"No, sir; it arn't an un-anything."

"Cruel?"

"No, sir. Cause you see a boat arn't a beast."

"Oh, I don't know what you mean," I said impatiently.

"Yes, it is an un-something; I forgot, sir. I meant undignified--that's
the word."

"He shall have his boat when we've done with it, and be paid for it
too," I said. "English officers don't do undignified things."

"But it strikes me, sir, as there won't be no boat to pay for when the
pirates have done with us. If we go alongside, do you know w