dge," he said, "for troubling you to come
all this way after your long day's work; but the fact is that for the
last month I have had it in my mind to speak to you, and the inducement
to do so has been growing ever since. To come to the point at once,
Grace and I have had enough of Wilde and his fantastic notions, and
would like to cut our connection with the whole concern if it were
possible. I am speaking quite freely to you, Mr Troubridge, for I know
that you have been dragged into this business quite against your will,
and--apart from what Grace has told me from time to time--I have drawn
my own conclusions from your steadfast refusal to sign the Charter.
Also, from what I have seen of you, I feel tolerably certain that
whatever I may say to you in confidence will not be betrayed to others."

"Of course," said I, "you may rest assured of that. But what is it that
you wish to do, Gurney; and in what way do you imagine that I can help
you?"

"Well," said Gurney, "the idea has taken hold of me--and not me only, I
may tell you, but a good many others, Wilde being one of them--that if a
chance to quit this island and return to civilisation were to present
itself to you, you would gladly seize it. And it is just this idea that
has caused Wilde to hesitate about completing the loading of the ship
and dispatching her under your command. Something, however, must be
done soon; for the settlement is in urgent need of live stock, and many
other things, which must be obtained by hook or by crook without much
further delay. Now, I cannot speak with certainty, because I don't
know, but by putting two and two together I have come to the conclusion
that Wilde and certain other unscrupulous persons among his followers
have it in their minds to fill up the ship with sandalwood, man her with
a dozen or so of the forecastle hands in whom they can place absolute
trust, and dispatch her to Canton under your command. But--and here
comes in the villainy of the scheme--as soon as a landfall is made, you
are to be quietly knocked on the head and hove over the side to prevent
all further trouble. The ship is to be taken into port; she and her
cargo are to be disposed of; another vessel and a cargo of tea are to be
bought with the proceeds; a skipper secured; and the new ship is then to
proceed to some good market where the tea will be disposed of, and the
proceeds applied to the purchase of what is most urgently needed by the
settlers