t they'd keep us
guessin' until they was ready to get in some more fancy work, the Lord
knows what.

"That Trenjum is a slick customer--I don't believe he ever writ anything
for a newspaper, anyway--he's too tall and strong-lookin' to make his
livin' with a pencil. This Trenjum and the parson is in together for all
of their lettin' on they don't like one another. What business has a
writin' chap with his breeches full of pistols like he had in the saloon?
Ye can't tell me writin' chaps eats their meals with guns enough in their
clothes to arm a landin'-party, no, sir!"

"A pretty pickle! Sally Ann, but I've got a nice mess aboard me, and I'm
hanged if I know what it's all going to come to! I've half a mind to
throw the whole lot in irons and work the ship with the chinks."

"Now ye're talkin' like somebody," said Harris. "But go slow and git 'em
one at a time when it's convenient, so they won't suspect nothin'. If ye
go after the whole gang at once I'll bet ye have a fight on yer hands.
Grab one and then the other so ye'll git 'em separate: and keep 'em
separate, so they can't talk it over, or ye'll have a peck of trouble
on yer hands."

"It's no small matter to put passengers in irons, Mr. Harris. They would
make trouble for me when they get into port."

"They'll make a cussed sight more trouble for ye aboard here, is my way
of lookin' at it. We got Petrak, anyway, for a start. He said Trenjum got
him to do it, and Trenjum told ye Meeker had a hand in it. Just say one
accused the other, and when ye come to find this aboard ye had to put 'em
in irons 'cause it looked like they was hatchin' mutiny in the crew. Then
we'll slam the other two in irons on suspicion, and they bein' crew, ye
got a right to do that.

"What's the good o' bein' master if ye can't protect yerself and yer
ship? Trenjum is safe enough, as it goes for now, but I'd make him fast
below when we have the others, and see what sort of a talk he puts up. If
we git 'em to tellin' on one another, then we've got the whole yarn out,
and ye won't have no trouble with the port authorities. Don't that sound
sensible to ye?"

"I don't see any other way out of it," said Riggs. "I suppose the best
thing to do is to go up and take the parson. His room being next to Mr.
Trenholm's, the two of 'em will know what's going on, but we don't care.
Then we'll take Buckrow and Long Jim."

"I guessed ye'd see it that way, cap'n. I'm willin' to stand double
watches and