and then the captain's heavy, growling voice made itself
heard as he came down into the saloon.

"I'm going to pull anchor out of here to-morrow, Ann," said the skipper;
"it's jest about time."

"What hour, Brother?" asked the woman.

This startled Jim, who had not guessed that this woman was any relation
of the redoubtable Bill Broome, and that so human a word as "Brother"
could be applied to the old pirate had never entered his head. This
rawboned woman was quite the equal of her brother, and her life had
brought out that hardness and cruelty that is latent only too often in
the New England character.

To her question the captain replied, "Not later than four if we are to
get clear. I'm going into Frisco on a little business first."

"Do we take the gal?" questioned the woman, following his thought in
some obscure way.

"Then she is here," mused Jim.

"Part way, anyhow," he rumbled in his harsh voice. "Every day of bother
getting rid of her brings up her price."

Jim felt the hot blood of rage warm the roots of his hair. The
cold-blooded cruelty and calculation of it made him long to get hold of
the old codger. Perhaps he would in a moment.

"Git me something to eat, Ann, old gal," he said. "I'd better begin to
lay in ballast for to-morrow."

The captain took his seat at the table, and put his feet squarely on the
unsuspected Jim. Then came the explosion.

"By tarnation thunder, there's somebody under thar," he exclaimed,
rising to his feet.

Jim crawled from under as quick as he could, and with a sense of sullen
fury he saw the game was up for a second time. If he had cared to escape
without striking a blow he did not have a chance. As he emerged the
captain was on his back with all the ferocity of a hyena.

"It's that blasted young beggar again," he yelled. "We'll do him good
this time."

CHAPTER XXXI

THE END, A NEW START

Jim, well fed and rested, was up to his full strength, and to this was
added his fierce anger against the captain. Not on his own personal
account, but because of his heartless cruelty towards the captive girl
whom he had in his power and was holding for ransom. With a twist Jim
got hold of the back of Captain Bill Broome's neck, and by means of a
mighty wrench he got the old wretch around in front of him, breaking
free from his hold. Jim sent him staggering back.

As the captain, regaining his footing, rushed forward like an enraged
bull, Jim Darlington measured hi