r beat it."

Gin Seng expostulated, lied, evaded, and all but wept, but Mr.
Gibney was obdurate and eventually the Chinaman paid over the
money and departed with the remains of his countrymen. "I knew
he'd come through, Bart," Mr. Gibney declared. "They got to ship
them stiffs to China to rest alongside their ancestors or be in
Dutch with the sperrits o' the departed forever after."

"Do we have to split this swag with that dirty Scraggs?" McGuffey
wanted to know. "Seein' as how he tried to give us the double
cross----"

"We'll fix Scraggsy--all shipshape an' legal so's he won't have
no comeback. Quick, grab some o' them empty potato crates an'
pile 'em here where the stiffs was lyin' an' cover 'em up with
the tarpaulin. I don't want Scraggsy to think the corpses is gone
until I've hooked him good and plenty."

The stage was set in a few minutes and the conspirators set
themselves to await the return of Scraggs. They had not long to
wait. Upon his arrival at Gin Seng's place of business Captain
Scraggs had been informed that Gin Seng had gone out twenty
minutes before, and further inquiry revealed the portentous fact
that he had departed in an express wagon. Consumed with
misgivings of disaster, Scraggs returned to the _Maggie_ as fast
as the California Street cable car and his legs could carry him;
as he came aboard his anxious glance sought the tarpaulin-covered
boxes on deck and at sight of them his mental thermometer rose at
once. In the cabin he found Mr. Gibney and McGuffey playing
cribbage. They laid down their hands as Scraggs entered.

"Well, are you all cooled out an' willin' to listen to reason,
Scraggsy, old business man?" Gibney greeted him cheerfully.

"None more so, Gib. If you've got a proposition to submit, fire
away."

"That's comfortin', Scraggsy. Well, me an' Bart's been chewing
over your proposition to buy out our interest in them two Chinks,
an' as the upshot of our talk we made up our minds to sell, but
not for no measly little five bucks' profit. Now, Scraggsy, you
old he-devil, on your honour as between shipmates, you got to
admit five dollars ain't hardly worth considerin'. Come down to
earth now. You know blamed well you're expectin' to pull out with
a neat profit an' that you can afford to boost that five-dollar
ante. What would you consider a fair price for a one-third
interest? Be honest an' fair, Scraggsy."

Captain Scraggs sat down, beaming. With Mr. Gibney in this frame
of m