an added insult and swore roundly at it as
an imposition.

Wilson himself found it no easy task to reach the deck, but Stubbs
came up the ladder as nimbly as a cat. The ship was unlighted from bow
to stern, so that the men aboard her moved about like shadows. Wilson
was rescued from the hold by Stubbs, who drew him back just as he was
being shoved towards the hatch by one of the sailors. The next second
he found himself facing a well-built shadow, who greeted Stubbs with
marked satisfaction.

"By the Lord," exclaimed the man, "you've done well, Stubbs. How many
did you get in all?"

"Fifty--to a man."

"They looked husky in the dark."

"Yes, they've gut beef 'nuff--but that ain't all that makes a man.
Howsomever, they're as good as I expected."

Wilson gasped; the master of this strange craft was no other than
Danbury!

CHAPTER XII

_Of Love and Queens_

For a few minutes Wilson kept in the background. He saw that the young
man was in command and apparently knew what he was about, for one
order followed another, succeeded by a quick movement of silent
figures about the decks, a jingle of bells below, and soon the
metallic clank of the steam-driven windlass. Shortly after this he
felt the pulse beat of the engines below, and then saw the ship, as
gently as a maid picking her way across a muddy street, move slowly
ahead into the dark.

"Now," said Danbury to Stubbs, "hold your breath. If we can only slide
by the lynx-eyed quarantine officers, we'll have a straight road ahead
of us for a while."

"Maybe we'll do it; maybe we won't."

"You damned pessimist," laughed Danbury. "Once we're out of this
harbor I'll give you a feed that will make an optimist of you."

The black smoke, sprinkled with golden red sparks from the forced
draft, belched from the funnel tops. The ship slid by the green and
red lights of other craft with never a light of her own. The three
men stood there until the last beacon was passed and the boat was
pointed for the open.

"Done!" exclaimed Danbury. "Now we'll have our lights and sail like
men. Hanged if I like that trick of muffled lights; but it would be
too long a delay to be held up here until morning."

He spoke a moment to his mate, and then turned to Stubbs.

"Now," he said, "come on and I'll make you glad you're living."

"Just a moment, Cap'n--my mate Wilson."

Danbury turned sharply. In the light which now flooded up from below,
he saw Wilson's features qu