among 'em.'

"But pretty quick we see the crowd all pile into a boat and come rowing
off to us. They was all men, and their signal was a red flannel shirt on
a pole.

"We put about for 'em and picked 'em up, letting their boat tow behind
the schooner. There was five of 'em, a ragged and dirty lot of Malays
and half-breeds. When they first climbed aboard, I see 'em looking
the schooner over mighty sharp, and in a minute they was all jabbering
together in native lingo.

"'What's the matter with 'em?' says Hammond.

"A chap with scraggy black whiskers and a sort of worried look on his
face, stepped for'ard and made a bow. He looked like a cross between a
Spaniard and a Malay, and I guess that's what he was.

"'Senors,' says he, palavering and scraping, 'boat! my boat!'

"'W'at's 'e giving us?' says Hammond.

"'Boat! This boat! My boat, senors,' says the feller. All to once I
understood him.

"'Hammond,' I says, 'I swan to man if I don't believe we've picked up
the real crew of this craft!'

"'Si, senor; boat, my boat! Crew! Crew!' says Whiskers, waving his hands
toward the rest of his gang.