Perfect gentleman, I tell you. I didn't bother him, then; but
I wasn't likely to forget them two fellows, so businesslike with their
knives. At that time we had only one revolver between us two--the
governor's six-shooter, but loaded only in five chambers; and we had no
more cartridges. He had left the box behind in a drawer in his cabin.
Awkward! I had nothing but an old clasp-knife--no good at all for
anything serious.
"In the evening we four sat round a bit of fire outside the
sleeping-shed, eating broiled fish off plantain leaves, with roast yams
for bread--the usual thing. The governor and I were on one side, and
these two beauties cross-legged on the other, grunting a word or two
to each other, now and then, hardly human speech at all, and their eyes
down, fast on the ground. For the last three days we couldn't get them
to look us in the face. Presently I began to talk to the boss quietly,
just as I am talking to you now, careless like, and I told him all I had
observed. He goes on picking up pieces of fish and putting them into his
mouth as calm as anything. It's a pleasure to have anything to do with a
gentleman. Never looked across at them once.
"'And now,' says I, yawning on purpose, 'we've got to stand watch at
night, turn about, and keep our eyes skinned all day, too, and mind we
don't get jumped upon suddenly.
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