Сердца трех / Hearts of Three

’

�Whereabouts on the mainland was this?’ Henry demanded, with a tenseness which Francis, chuckling his reminiscence of the misadventure, did not notice.

�Down’ toward the other end of Chiriqui Lagoon,’ he replied. �It was the stamping ground of the Solano family, I learned; and they are a red peppery family, as I found out. But I haven’t told you all. Listen. First she dragged me into the vegetation and insulted my mustache; next she chased me to the boat with a drawn revolver; and then she wanted to know why I didn’t kiss her.

�And did you?’ Henry demanded, his hand unconsciously clinching by his side.

�What could a poor stranger in a strange land do? It was some armful of pretty girl—’

The next fraction of a second Francis had sprung to his feet and blocked before his jaw a crushing blow of Henry’s fist.

�I… I beg your pardon,’ Henry mumbled, and slumped down on the ancient sea chest. I’m a fool, I know, but I’ll be hanged if I can stand for—’

�There you go again,’ Francis interrupted resentfully.

�That’s right, fire away, I deserve it,’ Henry admitted ruefully, but involuntarily began to fire up as he continued with: �Confound you, that was Leoncia.

�What if it was Leoncia? Or Mercedes? Or Dolores? Can’t a fellow kiss a pretty girl at a revolver’s point without having his head knocked off by the next ruffian he meets in dirty canvas pants on a notorious sand-heap of an island?’

�When the pretty girl is engaged to marry the ruffian in the dirty canvas pants.’

�You don’t mean to tell me,’ the other broke in excitedly.

�It isn’t particularly amusing to said ruffian to be told that his sweetheart has been kissing a ruffian she never saw before from off a disreputable Jamaica nigger’s schooner,’ Henry completed his sentence.

�And she took me for you,’ Francis mused, glimpsing the situation. �I don’t blame you for losing your temper, though you must admit it’s a nasty one. Wanted to cut off my ears yesterday, didn’t you?’

�Yours is just as nasty, Francis, my boy.