!"

"More than that," I warned him. "You forget Captain Swope, and the
tradesmen. There are seven of them, aft, all armed, and of a fighting
breed. You are hinting at a silly business, Boston."

"Oh, I don't know," he persisted. "Thirty to seven ain't so bad. And
they haven't all the arms--we got our knives, ain't we? And maybe
other things, too."

"Forget it," said I. "Don't imagine for a minute these stiffs will
face guns. You and your mate might, but as for the rest of the
gang--why, Lynch could clean them up single-handed. Better stow that
kind of talk. It's dangerous. You have the law against you, and it's
a neck-stretching affair."

"The law?" he echoed. "What do you think that gang cares for the law?
Mighty few laws they ain't broke in their time! And they may be
stiffs, right enough, but they'll fight--for money!"

"Dare say," I remarked, sarcastically. "And I suppose you'll hire them
with your bags of gold, which you probably have stowed under your bunk?"

"Well, now, maybe I'd just have to promise them something," he said.
He glanced around, then leaned towards me and lowered his voice to a
whisper. "Shreve, there are a hundred thousand dollars in hard cash
aft there in the cabin!"

"What's that?" I exclaimed.

"Yes," he said. "I know. You bet I know. Blackie and me knew before
ever we come on board this cursed hooker. The Swede didn't shanghai
us, you bet!"

"Oh, stow that sort of guff, Boston," I told him. "Maybe the Swede
didn't shanghai you; but if he didn't, it was because you and your mate
were willing to ship with the devil himself in order to get out of the
country."

My words touched his temper, as I thought they would. "You seem to
know a lot more than I know myself," he sneered. Before I could
answer, he regained control of his tongue, and continued with oily
suavity. "I guess the Big 'Un has been talking to you? Hasn't he? I
guess maybe he's told you that Blackie and me are two men who can take
a chance without weakening? Say, Jack, what has the Big 'Un been
saying to you about us? I want particular to know."

"He hasn't said a blessed word about you," I answered, truthfully.

Boston cursed, and favored me with an evil squint; then he hid the look
behind a forced laugh. "Well, If you don't want to tell me, I guess
you don't have to," he remarked. "It don't hurt me and Blackie none,
whatever the Big 'Un says. And say, Jack, you and us ought to be good
fr