e. You know that I want
Murray, my mate."

"Savvy plenty."

"Then hand him out, and let me get away back on board."

"No got," said Rad el Moussa; "no can."

"Now look here, Mister," said Captain Kettle, "I've paid you honestly
for justice, and if I don't have it, I'll start in pulling down your old
town straight away. Give up the mate, Rad, and let me get back
peacefully to my steamboat, or, by James! I'll let loose a wild
earthquake here. If you want battle, murder, and sudden death, Mr. Rad
el Moussa, just you play monkey tricks with me, and you'll get 'em
cheap. Kady, are you? Then, by James! you start in without further talk,
and give me the justice that I've bought and paid for."

Though this tirade was in an alien tongue, Rad el Moussa caught the
drift from Captain Kettle's accompanying gesticulations, which supplied
a running translation as he went on. Rad saw that his visitor meant
business, and signed that he would go out and fetch the imprisoned mate
forthwith.

"No, you don't," said Kettle promptly. "If your Worship once left here,
I might have trouble in finding you again. I know how easy it is to hide
in a-warren like this town of yours. Send one of your hands with
a message."

Now, to convey this sentence more clearly, Kettle had put his fingers
on the Arab's clothing, when out fell a bag of pearls, which came
unfastened. The pearls rolled like peas about the floor, and the Arab,
with gritting teeth, whipped out a knife. Promptly Kettle drew also, and
covered him with a revolver.

"See here," he said, "I'm not a thief, though perhaps you think I pulled
out that jewelry purse on purpose. It was an accident, Rad, so I'll
forgive your hastiness. But your Worship mustn't pull out cutlery on me.
I'll not stand that from any man living. That's right, put it up. Back
goes the pistol into its pocket, and now we're friends again. Pick up
the pearls yourself, and then you'll be certain I haven't grabbed any,
and then send one of your men to fetch my mate and do as I want. You're
wasting a great deal of my time, Rad el Moussa, over a very simple job."

The Arab gathered the pearls again into the pouch and put it back to its
place among his clothes. His face had grown savage and lowering, but it
was clear that this little spitfire of a sailor, with his handy pistol,
daunted him. Kettle, who read these signs, was not insensible to the
compliment they implied, but at the same time he grew, if anything,
addi