all the best of him. "Lemme go!"

"Certainly," I assented; "we did not ask you to come, and do not want
you to stay. But, first, I must use you in a few demonstrations to my
young friends. Jack,"--and I motioned to him with my head--"get behind
him."

Eagerly, his three-cornered gray eyes narrowed, Lafitte skipped back
of my man, and with no word from me he fastened on the other wrist so
suddenly the man had no warning, and with a strong heave of all his
body he doubled that arm up also. Much roaring now, and many
protestations, for when our prisoner began with abuse, we could change
it into supplication by raising his bent arms no more than one inch or
two.

"Now, Jimmy," said I, "go in front of him, and put a thumb in the
corner of his jaw, on each side. Press up until he begs our pardon."
And, faith, my blue-eyed pirate, so far from shuddering at the task,
at last managed to find those certain nerve centers known to all
efficient policemen; and very promptly, the man made signs he would
like to beg the boy's pardon and did so.

"Now, give me that arm, Jack," I resumed calmly, since our subject had
no more fight left in him than a sack of meal. "So. Now go around and
put your thumbs in his eyes--no, not really in his eyes, but in the
middle of the bone above his eyes. So. Now, ask this boy's pardon, or
I'll twist your arms off." And he asked it.

"You couldn't do it if you'd fight fair!" he bellowed.

"Could I not?" I asked. And cast him free. "Come on again, then."

"I'm afraid of them kids," said he. "They'd stick me."

"No, they would not," said I; but still he would not come on. Then I
made a quick catch at his wrist, edgewise, and rolled my thumb along
it at a certain place where the nerves lie close to the edge of the
bone, as any policeman knows; and he would follow me, then. So I led
him to our little camp-fire.

"Now," said I to him, "be seated," and he sat. I asked him if he would
shake hands with me and my boys and make up. He was very sullen, but,
at last, did so, not cheerfully, I fear, for he was not of good blood.

"Tell me," I demanded then, seeing that the triumph of calm reason had
been sufficient in his case, "why did you come here, and why do you
try to drive us off, who are only on a peaceful journey as pirates,
seeking our fortune?"

"Pirates!" he exclaimed. "Just what I thought. What's the use my
leasin' the pearl fer a mile along here if anybody can come and camp,
and go to work,