vorenssen and Van Ryn, seemed to have quite made up their minds
to have things all their own way; but me and Chips soon brought 'em up
with a round turn by tellin' all hands what you'd said. Says I: `Now
look here, you chaps. We've got the navigator we wants, and if this
here treasure place is to be found you may all bet your boots he'll find
it. But he won't have no socialism, no runnin' the ship by committees,
nor no nonsense of that sort; he'll be Mister Skipper, and don't none of
you forget it! Now, you was all quite satisfied when Cap'n Stenson
commanded the ship: what difference do it make to any of you whether
it's Stenson or Mr Blackburn what gives the orders? It don't make a
hap'orth of difference to e'er a one of ye! Very well, then; me and
Chips has been talkin' things over together and we've decided that,
havin' been lucky enough to get hold of Mr Blackburn, we ain't goin' to
lose 'im because of any socialistic tommy-rot; so if there's anybody
here as objects to Mr Blackburn's conditions, let 'im say so, and we'll
ask the new skipper to put in somewheres, and we'll shove the
dissatisfied ones ashore.'

"There was a fine old rumpus when I said that. The four Dagoes swore as
they wasn't goin' to be done out of their share of the treasure for
nobody, nor nobody wasn't goin' to put 'em out of the ship; and for a
minute or two it looked as though we was goin' to have a mutiny. But we
Englishmen all stuck together, the others backin' up me and Chips; and
at last, when the Dagoes seen which way the wind was blowin', they give
in, and said, all right, we might 'ave our own way, since we seemed so
stuck upon it. So there you are, sir; you're our new skipper, and if
the Dagoes gets obstropolous we'll just shove 'em ashore, even if we has
to maroon 'em."

"I scarcely think it will be necessary to adopt any such extremely
drastic step as that," said I. "If the foreigners are made to
understand that the rest of you will stand no nonsense from them they
will probably settle down quietly enough. If they do not--if they
manifest the least inclination to be troublesome--I will put them ashore
at Port Louis, Mauritius, at which port I intend to call in any case,
that I may report the loss of the _Saturn_, and send certain letters
home. It will take us very little out of our way, and if the Dagoes
learn that we are going to call in at a British port on our way, it may
steady them a bit and help them to see that th