eliberately.

Roberts gave himself an angry jerk and reached out his hand to snatch at
a marlin-spike stuck just beneath the rail.

"What's the matter now?" asked Murray.

"You'll know directly if you don't finish your twaddling stuff. You
told me all that before," cried the lad irritably.

"Did I? Well, you keep on interrupting me so."

"There, go on."

"All right," continued Murray, in the most imperturbable way. "Well, as
I was saying, that when they brought the poor fellow round--"

"Bravo, oh prince of story-tellers!" cried Roberts sneeringly. "They
brought him round, did they? I wonder he didn't stop drowned if he was
surrounded by people who kept on prosing like you are."

"Well, he didn't," said Murray coolly; "they brought him round."

"Here, Frank, old chap," cried Roberts, with mock interest, "it's as
well to be quite certain when you are making history--are you sure that
they didn't bring him square?"

"Oh yes, quite," said Murray quietly; "they brought him round, and it
was remarkable what an effect it had upon his temper."

Roberts turned upon him again quite fiercely.

"He seemed to have turned acid right through, and snapped and snarled at
those about him; and then--"

"Now, look here, young fellow," cried Roberts, interrupting his
companion, "I'm not all a fool, Frank Murray, and I can see quite
plainly enough that this is all meant for a go at me. Do you mean to
tell me that I have turned upon every one to snap and snarl at them?
Because if you do, say so like a man."

"Well, old chap--" began Murray, smiling.

"Oh, you do, do you? You've made up your mind to quarrel with me, have
you? Very well, sir. I don't want to be on good terms with a fellow
who, in spite of the way in which I have made myself his friend ever
since he joined, is determined to--determined to--Here, this is beyond
bearing, sir. We're too big now to settle our quarrels, like a couple
of schoolboys, with our fists, but the wretched state in which we are
compelled to exist by the captain's absurd prejudices against settling a
dispute in a gentlemanly way compels one to put off all consideration of
age and position; so come down below. We can easily get to where the
men will take care that we are not interrupted by the officers; and if I
don't give you the biggest thrashing you ever had, it's because I am
weak from the effects of that accident and being dragged under water for
so long. Now then, come on, a