He was alongside before Phips had called anchor.

His cheerful countenance came up between the frowning guns, his hook-hand ran over the rail, and in a moment he was on deck facing--Radisson.
He was unprepared for the meeting, but he had taken too many chances in his lifetime to show astonishment.

He and Radisson had fought and parted; they had been in ugly business together, and they were likely to be, now that they had met, in ugly business again.
Bucklaw's tiger ran up to stroke his chin with the old grotesque gesture.

"Ha!" he said saucily, "cats and devils have nine lives." There was the same sparkle in the eye as of old, the same buoyant voice.
For himself, he had no particular quarrel with Radisson; the more so because he saw a hang-dog sulkiness in Radisson's eye.

It was ever his cue when others were angered to be cool.