lker ain't going to fool
_me_; if he's on to anything good, I guess I'm going to have a cut in."

"Veil, ve see by und by, ven he comes ashore. Von ding, I dells you,
mine friend. Dot fine shentleman don't know vat you und me knows about
Captain Bilker."

The American gave an affirmative wink, and then going to a rude cupboard
he took out a bottle of gin and a couple of tin mugs.

"Look hyar, Peter, I guess you and me's goin' to do some business
together over this schooner, so let's make friends."

"I vas agreeable," said the German with alacrity, rising from his seat
and accepting the peace-offering. He nodded to Burrowes and tossed it
off.

*****

By lunch-time Mr. Morcombe-Lycett had been brought ashore and had
accepted Mr. Deighton's invitation to remain for the night He was a
well-dressed, good-looking man of about thirty-five, and was, so Mr.
Deighton sympathisingly announced to his wife, suffering from a touch of
malarial fever, which a little quinine and nursing would soon put right
Mr. Deighton himself, by the way, was suffering from the same complaint.

At noon, as Charlie Blount was walking past Burrowes' house, he was
surprised to see that the German was still there. He was about to pass
on--for although on fairly friendly terms with the two men, he did not
care for either of them sufficiently well to enter their houses often,
although they did his--when the American came to the door and asked him
to come in and take a nip.

"Are you going to board the schooner?" asked Burrowes, as Blount came in
and sat down.

"No, I'm going down to Lak-a-lak. I've got some natives cutting timber
for me there, and thought I would just walk along the beach and see how
they are getting on. Besides that, my little girl Nellie is there with
her uncle."

"Why," said Burrowes, with genuine surprise, "won't you go aboard and
see if they have any provisions to sell? I heard you say the other day
that you had quite run out of tinned meats and nearly out of coffee."

"So I have; but I don't care about going on board for all that" Then
looking the two men straight in the face, he drank off the gin, set the
mug down on the table, and resumed, "I saw by my glass that that damned,
cut-throat blackbirder, Bilker, is her skipper. That's enough for me. I
heard that the infernal scoundrel got ten years in gaol. Sorry he wasn't
hanged."

"Vy," said the German, whose face was considerably flushed by the liquor
he had been drink