The two blacks gazed at him intently, as if trying hard to understand him. "This, I say, is Captain Vandean, and I'm Captain Howlett, and we came in the boat and saved your lives when you were pitched overboard out of the slaver." "Are these the two men?" said Mark, eagerly. "Right, my lord. These are they. I've had 'em holy-stoned and fresh painted. They seemed to want to stay, and the skipper said as he was short-handed he'd give 'em a trial. Of course, I took their parts; and I said to Maitland--" "Yes, what did you say to Maitland, Mr Howlett?" said the captain, who had returned unobserved. Bob's jaw dropped. He was as a rule ready enough, but he was so completely taken aback that he was now speechless. "Ah," said the captain, "your memory is so short that you cannot recollect. But try and bear this in mind, Mr Howlett. Don't vapour and don't brag. These things are not becoming to an officer and a gentleman." He passed on, and Bob's face was a study. "There, it's all over," he said, dismally. "Don't laugh at a fellow. You might have said he was coming up." "I can't help laughing, and I didn't know, Bob, really," said Mark, merrily, "Oh, I say, you did look a muff." "So would you," said Bob, angrily. "There, I can't say what I was going to say to you, only that their names are Soup and Taters. This is the one you brought aboard--Soup. And this is my one--Taters. Soup-- Taters," he said again, and he touched the two men on the shoulders as he spoke, both smiling faintly as they heard his words, and gazing from one to the other as if striving hard to catch the meaning. "Now then, what do you think of them?" "They both seem to be big, strong, healthy fellows." "Yes, and I shall make first-class seamen of them." "I suppose so," said Mark, smiling. "There you go again--chaffing. Ah, you're ever so much better," grumbled Bob. Then turning to the two blacks--"Now then, you may both go below, only recollect that we've got a sort of right in you, because Mr Van here saved one of you, and I saved the other." The two blacks gazed hard at the speaker, the man who had been dragged into the first cutter through Mark, bending forward a little, with his soft opal eyeballs gleaming and a wonderful intense look in his swart face. There was a twitching about the temples, and his lower lip trembled a little, while one hand was raised; but as Bob Howlett finished, he uttered a low sigh, muttered a few words to his companion, and drew himself up, folding his arms across his broad chest. "Well done, noble savage," said Bob. "We very nearly understand each other. Here, Soup." The black started at the word, and looked inquiringly at the speaker. "Don't worry the poor fellows," said Mark. "Who's going to worry them? Look here, Soup, you're going to serve the Queen, and the sooner you understand the Queen's English the better. I'm going to suit the action to the word. Now then, see here."