wo logs as near
to the company as I be to that old windlass there. I didn't need anybody
to show me Big Hand. He stood up, very still, his legs a little apart,
listening to Genet, that French Ambassador, which never had more manners
than a Bosham tinker. Genet was as good as ordering him to declare war
on England at once. I had heard that clack before on the _Embuscade_. He
said he'd stir up the whole United States to have war with England,
whether Big Hand liked it or not.

'Big Hand heard him out to the last end. I looked behind me and my two
chiefs had vanished like smoke. Says Big Hand, "That is very forcibly
put, Monsieur Genet----" "Citizen--citizen!" the fellow spits in. "_I_,
at least, am a Republican!" "Citizen Genet," he says, "you may be sure
it will receive my fullest consideration." This seemed to take Citizen
Genet back a piece. He rode off grumbling, and never gave his nigger a
penny. No gentleman!

'The others all assembled round Big Hand then, and, in their way, they
said pretty much what Genet had said. They put it to him, here was
France and England at war, in a manner of speaking, right across the
United States' stomach, and paying no regards to any one. The French was
searching American ships on pretence they was helping England, but
really for to steal the goods. The English was doing the same, only
t'other way round, and besides searching, they was pressing American
citizens into their navy to help them fight France, on pretence that
those Americans was lawful British subjects. His gentlemen put this very
clear to Big Hand. It didn't look to _them_, they said, as though the
United States trying to keep out of the fight was any advantage to
_her_, because she only catched it from both French and English. They
said that nine out of ten good Americans was crazy to fight the English
then and there. They wouldn't say whether that was right or wrong; they
only wanted Big Hand to turn it over in his mind. He did--for a while. I
saw Red Jacket and Cornplanter watching him from the far side of the
clearing, and how they had slipped round there was another mystery. Then
Big Hand drew himself up, and he let his gentlemen have it.'

'Hit 'em?' Dan asked.

'No, nor yet was it what you might call swearing. He--he blasted 'em
with his natural speech. He asked them half-a-dozen times over whether
the United States had enough armed ships for any shape or sort of war
with any one. He asked 'em, if they thought