ere's another thing. By the all-fired smell o' that island I reckon
that you've been poachin' on my pearl-'yster bank. Now, I dunno whether
you knows it or not, but by the laws of the United States of Ameriky
pearl poachin' is felony, and the poacher is liable to be put away for
ten years or so in Sing Sing. But I don't want to be hard upon nobody;
so if you'll just hand over to me the pearls that you've poached, I'm
agreeable to let ye all go free, and say nothin' more about it."

"You don't say!" ejaculated Brown, apparently overwhelmed by such royal
clemency. "Well, then, I guess--But stop a minute; I sure was very near
forgettin' something. You say that this here island's yours, eh? Well,
then, I s'pose you've got your title deeds and all that to prove it,
eh?"

"Title deeds be--" began Slocum, with an ugly snarl. Then he pulled
himself up sharp. "I sure have, to hum," he answered. "But natchrally
I didn't bring sich vallyable papers along with me, for fear of losin'
'em. And then again I didn't expect to find nobody here to dispute my
title. See?"

"No," said Brown, "I don't see; and that's a solid fact. What I do see
is somethin' like this here. I'm cruisin' in the Pacific in this here
schooner o' mine, and one day we sights this here island, and comes in
to have a look at it. We lowers a boat and pulls ashore, and what do we
find? We finds that the place is uninhabited, with nary a sign that
anybody's ever set eyes on it before. Anyway, it's uninhabited, and
it's miles and miles away from any other land; therefore it don't belong
to nobody, and accordin'ly I takes possession of it. So you see, Cap'n,
you're all wrong about it bein' your'n. It's mine; and if I was measly
and cantankerous I'd prob'ly order you to take your schooner outer my
harbour at once. But I ain't that sorter man: I'm lib'ral and
free-handed to a fault; I ain't no greedy grab-all, not by a long chalk,
so you may stay in this here harbour o' mine so long as you've a mind
to. But, you understan', you ain't none of yer to go ashore without my
leave; an'--"

"Oh, shucks!" interrupted Slocum in sudden fury. "What d'ye mean by
givin' me that sort o' mush? I tell ye that this island is mine, and I
means to have it. And I means to have all the pearls that you've
poached, too; and look 'e here, Mister, if you ain't out o' sight before
nightfall, I'll--I'll--"

"Yes; you'll--what?" demanded the skipper calmly, seeing that the