a scornful smile. "You're keener than I thought, but
you can't tell Cartwright much he doesn't believe he knows. I'll risk
your talking to somebody else."

"Oh, well," said Lister, "I guess we'll let it go. In the meantime, I'll
get off and take the captain along. I allow you have fixed him pretty
good but he put his mark on the steamboat man and your furniture."

He called the sailors, and finding the two who had brought Brown to the
factory, carried him downstairs and put him on board the boat. The
captain snored heavily and did not awake. When they pushed off, and with
the other boat in tow drifted down the creek, Lister pondered.

He did not know if he had well played his part, but he had not wanted
Montgomery to think his staunchness to his employer must be reckoned on;
he would sooner the fellow thought him something of a fool. When
Montgomery offered the bribe he probably knew he was rash; his doing so
indicated that he was willing to run some risk, and this implied that
Cartwright's supposition about the wreck was justified. Montgomery was
obviously resolved she should not be floated and might be a troublesome
antagonist. For example, he had stopped their getting coal and Lister
was persuaded he had made Brown drunk. If the control the captain had so
far used broke down, it would be awkward, since Montgomery would no
doubt supply him with liquor.

It was plain the fellow meant to bother them as much as possible, but
since he had not owned the wrecked steamer his object was hard to see.
In the meantime, Lister let it go and concentrated on steering the boat
past the mud banks in the creek.

CHAPTER V

MONTGOMERY USES HIS POWER

Some time after Lister went to the factory he woke one night from
disturbed sleep. His small room under _Terrier's_ bridge was very hot
and the door and port were open. A faint draught blew in and the
mosquito curtain moved about his bed. The tug rolled languidly and the
water splashed against her side. Farther off the gentle swell broke with
a dull murmur across the wreck.

This was all, but Lister was persuaded he had, when half awake, heard
something else. At dusk a drum had begun to beat across the lagoon and
the faint monotonous noise had jarred. It was typically African; the
negroes used drums for signaling, although white men had not found out
their code. Lister had come to hate all that belonged to the fever
coast.

The drum, however, was not beating now, and he rat