ray puffs of air, added its voice now and
then, whining and complaining like some lost yet inconsiderable soul.

No other sound could be heard as the three men ranged themselves,
Ginnell on the starboard, and Blood and Harman on the port side of the
table.

The swivel seats, though all aslant, were practicable, and Harman was
in the act of taking his place in the seat he had chosen when Ginnell
interposed.

"One moment, Mr. Harman," said the owner of the _Heart of Ireland_.
"I've a word to say to you and Mr. Blood--sure, I beg your pardon--I
mane Capt'in Blood."

"Well," said Blood, grasping a chair-back. "What have you to say?"

"Only this," replied Ginnell with a grin. "I've got back me revolver."

Blood clapped his hand to his pocket. It was empty.

"I picked your pocket of it," said Ginnell, producing the weapon, "two
minits back; you fired three shots over the heads of them chows and
there's three ca'tridges left in her. I can hit a dollar at twinty
long paces. Move an inch either the one or other of you, and I'll lay
your brains on the table fornint you."

They did not move, for they knew that he was in earnest. They knew
that if they moved he would begin to shoot, and if he began to shoot he
would finish the job, leave their corpses on the floor, and sail off
with the dollars and his Chinese crew in perfect safety. There were no
witnesses.

"Now," said Ginnell, "what the pair of you have to do is this. Misther
Harman, you'll go into that cabin behind you, climb on the upper bunk,
stick your head through the port-hole and shout to the coolies down
below there with the boat to come up. It'll take two men to get them
dollars on deck and down to the wather side. When you've done that,
the pair of you will walk into the ould man's cabin an' say your
prayers, thanking the saints you've got off so easy, whiles I puts the
bolt on you till the dollars are away. And remimber this, one word or
kick from you and I shoot--the Chinamen will never tell."

"See here," said Harman.

"One word!" shouted Ginnell, suddenly dropping the mask of urbanity and
levelling the pistol.

It was as though the tiger-cat in his grimy soul had suddenly burst
bonds and mastered him. His finger pressed on the trigger and the next
moment Harman's brains, or what he had of them, might have been
literally forenint him on the table, when suddenly, tremendous as the
last trumpet, paralysing as the inrush of a body of armed me