with as much booze as they cared to swaller. And
I reckon that this 'ere's the hisland where Turnbull thinks 'e'll find
'is treasure."

"No doubt," agreed Leslie. "Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Well, sir, it ain't for the likes of me to say just exactly what you
ought to do," answered Reynolds. "I thought that maybe if I spinned you
the whole yarn you'd be able to think out some way of 'elpin' of us.
There ain't no doubt in my mind but what you bein' on the hisland 'ave
upset Turnbull's calculations altogether. As I makes it out, 'e
reckoned upon comin' 'ere and goin' ashore with 'is paper in 'is 'and,
and walkin' pretty straight to the place where this 'ere treasure is
buried, and diggin' of it up all quite comfortable, with nobody to
hinterfere with 'im. But you bein' 'ere makes it okkard for 'im, you
see; because 'e's afraid that where 'e goes you'll go with 'im, and if
'e goes pokin' about lookin' after buried treasure you'll drop on to 'is
secret and p'rhaps get 'old of the stuff. And that's just where the
danger to you comes in; because, d'ye see, sir, if 'e'd kill one man for
the sake of gettin' 'old of the barque to come 'ere on the off-chance of
findin' the treasure, 'e ain't the kind of man to 'esitate about killin'
another who'd be likely to hinterfere with 'im."

"Just so," assented Leslie; "that is quite possible. But I will see
that he does nothing of the kind. Now, tell me, how many of the ship's
company are with Turnbull, and how many are there against him?"

"Well, first of all, there's Turnbull 'isself; that's one," answered the
steward. "Then there's Burton, Royston, Hampton, and Cunliffe, the four
A.B.s; that's five. And, lastly, there's the cook; 'e makes six. Then,
on our side, there's Mr Marshall, the mate; that's one. I'm another;
that's two. And there's Rogers, Andrews, Parker, and Martin, the four
ordinary seamen; that's six again. So there's six against six, as you
may say; only there's this difference between us: Turnbull 'ave got two
revolvers, one what 'e found in the skipper's cabin, and one what 'e
took from the mate, while the four A.B.s 'as their knives; whereas we
'aven't nothin', they 'avin' took our knives and everything away from
us."

"Still," argued Leslie, "the belaying-pins are always available, I
suppose, and they are fairly effective weapons in a hand-to-hand fight,
to say nothing of handspikes and other matters that you can always lay
your hands on.