back to his hip pocket as Rainey's fist flashed
through the opening and caught him high on the jaw, sending him
staggering back, crashing against the partition and down into the
cushioned seat that ran around the place.

But his gun was out. As he raised it Rainey grappled with him. Carlsen
pulled trigger, and the bullet smashed through the skylight above them,
while Rainey forced up his arm, twisting it fiercely with both hands
until the gun fell on the seat.

Simultaneously the girl and Lund appeared.

"Gun-play?" rumbled the giant. "That'll be you, Carlsen! You're too fond
of shooting off that gat of yores."

Rainey had stepped back at the girl's exclamation. Carlsen recovered his
gun and put it away, while Peggy Simms advanced with blazing eyes.

"You coward!" she said. "If I had thought--oh!"

She made a gesture of utter loathing, at which Carlsen sneered.

"I'll show you whether I'm a coward or not, my lady," he said, "before I
get through with all of you. And I'll tell you one thing: The captain's
life is in my hands. And he and I are the only navigators aboard this
vessel, except a fool of a blind man," he added, as he strode to the
door of Simms' cabin, turned to look at them, laughed deliberately in
their faces, and shut the door on them.

CHAPTER VII

RAINEY MAKES DECISION

"Well?" asked Lund, "what are you goin' to do about it, Rainey? Stick
with me, or line up with the rest of 'em, work yore passage, an' thank
'em for nothing when they divvy the stuff an' leave you out? You've got
to decide one way or the other damn' quick, for the show-down's on the
program for ter-morrer."

"You haven't said outright what you are going to do yourself," replied
Rainey. "As for me, I seem to be between the devil and the deep sea.
Carlsen has got some plan to outwit the men. It's inconceivable that
he'll be willing to give them equal shares. And he has no use for me."

"You ought to have grabbed that gun of his before he did," said Lund.
"He'll put you out of the way if he can, but, now his temper's b'iled
over a bit, he'll not shoot you. Not afore the gold's in the hold. One
thing, he knows the hunters wouldn't stand for it. They've got dust in
their eyes right now--gold-dust, chucked there by Carlsen, but if he'd
butchered you he'd likely lose his grip on 'em. I think he would. I
don't believe yo're in enny danger, Rainey, if you want to buckle in an'
line up with the crowd.

"As for me," he went o