With a shrill whistle through his fingers he summoned another and equally unattractive individual to his aid, and the pair of them commenced to haul their boat down into the water. Miss de Roda and I walked along the causeway. "I'm sorry I can't find you a handsomer crew," I said, "but it's a question of Hobson's choice." "Oh, they will do very well," she answered, smiling. "They are probably the most respectable people really." Then she paused. "It's a bad habit to judge by appearances," she added, with what seemed to me the least touch of bitterness in her voice. I looked at her steadily. "Perhaps you're right," I admitted. "All the same, it's one of those bad habits that I'm rather a believer in." To this remark she returned no answer, and the next minute the boat, with its two unprepossessing occupants, came drifting alongside. We took our places in the stern, facing the gentleman with the silver ear-rings, who was pulling stroke. At closer quarters I thought I had never seen a more sinister-looking rascal in my life, an impression which was in no way mitigated by a large, businesslike-looking knife, which he wore stuck in a sheath suspended from his belt. At a very leisurely pace we moved away from the jetty and headed in the direction of the ship. Neither of the men appeared to be putting the least energy into his work, and at any other time I should have called their attention to the fact in pretty straight language. As it was, the prospect of spending a few more minutes in my companion's society reconciled me to their slackness, though the furtive way in which they kept glancing at us annoyed me almost beyond endurance. We had covered about half the distance, and were still some two hundred yards from the _Neptune_, when, without any warning, both men suddenly ceased rowing and rested their oars on the water. I looked up at them sharply. "What are you doing?" I said. "Get on at once." The fellow with the silver ear-rings eyed me with provoking insolence. "No--no," he said. "You pay us now. You pay us two pound and then we take you to sheep." Now the proper fee for a harbour boat at Leixoes is two shillings, so for a moment the audacity of this demand almost took away my breath. I suppose my face showed what I felt, for before I could speak Miss de Roda leaned across and touched me on the arm. "Please don't let my being with you make any difference, Mr. Dryden," she said. "Do exactly what you think best." I had quite recovered myself by this time, and the cool way in which she accepted the situation filled me with secret pleasure. I addressed myself to the leader of the mutiny. "I shall pay you your exact fare," I said, "and if you take my advice you will go on at once." He met my gaze with an expression of truculent defiance.