"I'm riled, and I shall be only using more bad language than is good for these youngsters to hear.

Give it to him pretty warm, though, all the same, doctor." "D'yer hear ?" said the red-faced fellow again.

"What do you want here ?" "Those poor wretches, you slave-dealing ruffian," cried the doctor, who looked quite white as he drew himself up and seemed to tower over the captain of the other schooner, who took a step back in astonishment, but recovered himself directly and advanced menacingly.
"Come for them, have you, eh ?" he roared; "then you'll go without 'em.
Here, over you go; off my ship, you--" The scoundrel did not finish his speech, for as he spoke he clapped a great rough hairy paw on the doctor's shoulder, and then our friend seemed to shrink back at the contact; but it was only to gather force, like a wave, for, somehow, just then his fist seemed to dart out, and the ruffianly captain staggered back and then fell heavily on the deck.
Half a dozen men sprang forward at this, but Doctor Grant did not flinch, he merely took out his revolver and examined its lock, saying: "Will you have these poor fellows got into our boat, captain ?" "Ay, ay, doctor," cried our skipper; and the slave-dealing crew shrank back and stared as we busily handed down the blackbirds, as the captain kept on calling them.
Poor creatures, they were still half-stunned and two of them were bleeding, and it must have seemed to then?
that they were being tossed out of the frying-pan into the fire, and that we were going to carry on the villainy that our ruffianly countrymen had commenced.

In fact had we not taken care, and even used force, they would have jumped overboard when we had them packed closely in.
"Here, shove off!" the captain said, as we were once more in our boat; and just then the leader of the ruffians staggered to his feet and leaned over the side.
"I'll have the law of you for this," he yelled.

"This is piracy." "To be sure it is," said our captain; "we're going to hyste the black flag as soon as we get back, and run out our guns.