y best fer you, and
so good-bye."

"No, no," cried Mike excitedly; "don't go and leave us, Joe. Tell the
captain here that if we say we'll promise not to speak to any one about
the place we'll keep our words."

Daygo shook his head.

"It's o' no use for me to say nothin', Master Mike: he's master here,
and does what he likes. You hadn't no business to come a-shovin'
yourself into his place."

"It is not his place," cried Mike indignantly; "it is my father's
property."

"I arn't got no time to argufy about that, my lad. He says it's his,
and all this here stuff as you sees is his too. Here, I must be off, or
I shall lose this high tide and be shut-in."

"No, no, Joe--stop!" cried Mike. "I'll--"

"Hold your tongue, Ladle," whispered Vince. "Don't do that; they'll
think we're regular cowards. Here you, Joe Daygo, if you go away and
don't give notice to Sir Francis or my father about our being kept here
by this man--"

"Say the Capen or the skipper, my lad," growled Daygo. "Makes him
orkard if he hears people speak dis-speckful of him."

"Pooh!" exclaimed Vince hotly. "I say, you know what the consequences
will be."

"Yes, my lad; they won't never know what become of you."

Vince winced, in spite of his determination to be firm, on hearing the
cold-blooded way in which the old fisherman talked, but he spoke out
boldly.

"Do you mean to say he will dare to keep us here?"

"Yes, my lad, or take you away with him, or get rid of you somehow. You
see he's capen and got his crew, and can do just what he likes."

"No, he can't," said Vince; "the law will not let him."

"Bless your 'art, Master Vince, he don't take no notice o' no law. But
I hope he won't drownd you both, 'cause you see we've been friendly
like. P'r'aps he'll on'y ship you off to Bottonny Bay, or one o' they
tother-end-o'-the-world places, where you can't never come back to tell
no tales."

"I don't believe it: he dare not. Don't take any notice, Mike; he's
only saying this to scare us, and we're not going to be scared."

"Now, _mon ami_," cried the captain, "you vill not get out if you do not
depart zis minute. I cannot spare to have you drowned. I sall sail
to-night, and you vill be here ready?"

"Ay, ay, I'll be here," growled Daygo.

"Then you are coming back?" said Vince quickly.

"That's so, Master Vince. How's he going to get the _Belle-Marie_ out
without me to pilot him? Yes, I'm comin' back to-night, my lad; and