"Very well, Senor," answered the Spaniard, livid with rage at being thus hectored before his own men, "I will tell my captain what you say; and it will be for him to decide how he will deal with you. If it rested with me, I would blow your ship out of the water. And I shall remember your face, Senor; and it may be that some day we shall meet on shore." "I expect to be in Havana to-morrow, or next day, Senor Teniente, and it will afford me the greatest pleasure to meet you there," answered Milsom. "Good afternoon, and don't forget to tell your captain that if he chooses to come on board in a friendly way, my owner here will be very pleased to see him, and to show him all over the ship. He can look into every nook and cranny of her if it will afford him any satisfaction to do so." The Spanish lieutenant bowed without speaking, signed to his men to go back into their boat, and followed them down the side. Five minutes later Jack and Milsom saw him gesticulating violently on the gunboat's quarter-deck as he related to the commander of the craft his version of the recent interview. CHAPTER SIX. COMMANDER DON LUIS Y ALBUQUERQUE. "I say, Phil, you seemed to have your knife into that Spaniard," said Jack, as he and Milsom stood watching the gunboat. "You appeared to take a delight in rubbing his fur the wrong way." "Yes," agreed Milsom meditatively, "I am afraid I did; and I am afraid, too, that I went just a little farther than there was any strict need for. But then the beggars put my back up, to start with, by firing at us. Had they contented themselves with pitching a shot across our fore- foot, I would not have minded so much; but they fired to hit--if they could. Then that lieutenant must needs come swaggering aboard here, putting on side, and threatening us--actually threatening us--with arrest, and imprisonment, and goodness knows what else! I only wish they would try to take us; I would teach them that it pays to be civil to Englishmen.--Well, what the dickens are you laughing at?" for Jack had burst into a hearty peal of laughter. "Oh, Phil, Phil," Jack exclaimed, when at length he had regained control of himself, "you are as good as a pantomime! The idea of you, of all men, complaining of the other fellow having threatened, and put on side! Why, man alive, you were just as exasperating as you could possibly be to the poor chap; and, as to the threatening--why, you were simply breathing out threatenings and slaughter! You will have to keep your weather eye lifting, my hearty, when you get round to Havana; for that fellow will look out for you, and force you into a fight, as sure as eggs are eggs."