'Well, now!' said Davis, 'I have seen a lot of driving in my time and been counted a good driver myself; I fought my way, third mate, round the Cape Horn with a push of packet rats that would have turned the devil out of hell and shut the door on him; and I tell you, this racket of Mr Attwater's takes the cake. In a ship, why, there ain't nothing to it! You've got the law with you, that's what does it. But put me down on this blame' beach alone, with nothing but a whip and a mouthful of bad words, and ask me to... no, SIR! it's not good enough! I haven't got the sand for that!' cried Davis. 'It's the law behind,' he added; 'it's the law does it, every time!' 'The beak ain't as black as he's sometimes pynted,' observed Huish, humorously. 'Well, one got the law after a fashion,' said Attwater. 'One had to be a number of things. It was sometimes rather a bore.' 'I should smile!' said Davis. 'Rather lively, I should think!' 'I dare say we mean the same thing,' said Attwater. 'However, one way or another, one got it knocked into their heads that they MUST work, and they DID... until the Lord took them!' ''Ope you made 'em jump,' said Huish. 'When it was necessary, Mr Whish, I made them jump,' said Attwater. 'You bet you did,' cried the captain. He was a good deal flushed, but not so much with wine as admiration; and his eyes drank in the huge proportions of the other with delight. 'You bet you did, and you bet that I can see you doing it! By God, you're a man, and you can say I said so.' 'Too good of you, I'm sure,' said Attwater. 'Did you--did you ever have crime here?' asked Herrick, breaking his silence with a pungent voice. 'Yes,' said Attwater, 'we did.' 'And how did you handle that, sir?' cried the eager captain. 'Well, you see, it was a queer case,' replied Attwater, 'it was a case that would have puzzled Solomon. Shall I tell it you? yes?' The captain rapturously accepted.