hat,
Petrak; but go ahead and take his advice, and see where ye come to."

"Don't mind him, Reddy," said Buckrow hoarsely. "Pass the bottle and let
the old devil croak. You stick to Bucky."

"Now, here's where I stand," went on Thirkle. "It's the last I'll say on
it, and I'll give you two chaps another chance to save yerselves. Take
the ropes off me and I'll bear no arms. You two take the pistols, and I
won't have a knife. That gives you two the upper hand, and ye can do as
ye please, and I'll take my share and orders, and see that I get ye away
clear.

"Once we make it safe ye can go about yer business, and I'll go about
mine. Come on, now, lads--how's that? I ought to be worth that just
to plan it out for ye and make sure ye get away. Better a third and a
long life than the whole and a rope afore ye spend a hundred pound of it,
if ye get as much as a drink out of it alone. How now, Bucky?"

"Real sweet of ye, old cock," said Buckrow, lighting a cigar. "A third
and yer life looks better than none and a pile of bones. Thirkle has a
bit of a way to look to his own ends; what, Reddy?"

"Ye don't stand to lose anything, do ye? I'm not the man to squeal when
I'm down; but we went into this thing together, the whole of us, with our
eyes open, to split it even. Here's the three of us, and we'll count it
out right here by the piece or the sack. Then ye leave it to me to get it
away for ye, clean and neat. I'm a gentleman, I am, and I can play a
gentleman's game, which ye two can't.

"I can buy a schooner or a yacht and look natural about it, and no
questions asked; and make a big show and live at the best hotels, and
nothing thought of me having plenty of money. But you two--why, show a
guinea, sober or drunk, and they'll grab ye on suspicion ye stole it.
Ye'd look real nice, Mr. Buckrow, buying a ship to come back here for it,
wouldn't ye--or mayhap ye'd leave that part of it to Petrak."

"How'll ye get away with it if yer so sharp about it?" demanded Buckrow.
"What can ye do outside what we can do--hey, Thirkle?"

"I've got it all planned out, ye can bank on that. I didn't get this gold
here without knowing what I was at, or how I was going to draw through.
That isn't my way, as ye know. I have in mind a sloop-rigged yacht, lying
in Shanghai, waiting for a buyer. Pretty little white thing she is, and
I can get her for a song, and take enough of this with me to turn the
job.

"I can play Meeker again, which you chap