the Book on that."

"If you don't like it, leave it," said I, "and get out, and be damned
to you."

Finally he agreed; but he refused me a look at the chart, saying that
he had left it in a safe place. I believe in reality he wanted to be
surer of me, and for that I can hardly blame him.

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE MURDER ON THE BEACH

At this moment the cook stuck his head in at the open door.

"Say, you fellows," he complained, "I got to be up at three o'clock.
Ain't you never going to turn in?"

"Shut up, Doctor!" "Somebody kill him!" "Here, sit down and listen to
this yarn!" yelled a savage chorus.

There ensued a slight scuffle, a few objections. Then silence, and the
stranger took up his story.

I had a chum named Billy Simpson, and I rung him in for friendship.
Then there was a solemn, tall Texas young fellow, strong as a bull,
straight and tough, brought up fighting Injins. He never said much,
but I knew he'd be right there when the gong struck. For fourth man I
picked out a German named Schwartz. He and Simpson had just come back
from the mines together. I took him because he was a friend of
Billy's, and besides was young and strong, and was the only man in town
excepting the sailor, Anderson, who knew anything about running a boat.
I forgot to say that the Texas fellow was named Denton.

Handy Solomon had his boat all picked out. It belonged to some Basques
who had sailed her around from California. I must say when I saw her I
felt inclined to renig, for she wasn't more'n about twenty-five feet
long, was open except for a little sort of cubbyhole up in the front of
her, had one mast, and was pointed at both ends. However, Schwartz
said she was all right. He claimed he knew the kind; that she was the
sort used by French fishermen, and could stand all sorts of trouble.
She didn't look it.

We worked her up to Yuma, partly with oars and partly by sails. Then
we loaded her with grub for a month. Each of us had his own weapons,
of course. In addition we put in picks and shovels, and a small cask
of water. Handy Solomon said that would be enough, as there was water
marked down on his chart. We told the gang that we were going trading.

At the end of the week we started, and were out four days. There
wasn't much room, what with the supplies and the baggage, for the five
of us. We had to curl up 'most anywheres to sleep. And it certainly
seemed to me that we were in lots of danger.