He could not have been hurt, however, to get down from the poop to the main-deck in the time.' There was a pause after this, while the stranger drew a long knife from his belt, and cleaned out his pipe with it.

Reuben and I took up our oars, and having pulled up our tangled fishing-lines, which had been streaming behind the boat, we proceeded to pull in towards the land.
'The question now is,' said the stranger, 'where we are to go to ?' 'We are going down Langston Bay,' I answered.
'Oh, we are, are we ?' he cried, in a mocking voice; 'you are sure of it eh?
You are certain we are not going to France?
We have a mast and sail there, I see, and water in the beaker.

All we want are a few fish, which I hear are plentiful in these waters, and we might make a push for Barfleur.' 'We are going down Langston Bay,' I repeated coldly.
'You see might is right upon the waters,' he explained, with a smile which broke his whole face up into crinkles.

'I am an old soldier, a tough fighting man, and you are two raw lads.

I have a knife, and you are unarmed.