cattered about here and there quite out of the regular tracks of
ships, the natives of which don't see the colour of canvas once in a
lifetime; what's to prevent a pirate-ship landing her prisoners there?
They'd have a jolly enough life of it in such a place, and be out of
harm's way. Then, as to work, I should keep just enough prisoners
aboard to do all the rough, dirty work, and let my regular crew have
easy times of it. And with such a ship as this, for instance, what need
to be afraid of a man-o'-war, even if there weren't a dozen ways of
bamboozling the `gold-buttons,' which there are. Then, as to going into
port--that's easy enough managed by a man with a good head-piece on his
shoulders; and, as I was saying, a lucky six months' cruise, and your
fortune's made. Then, what do you do? Why, you watches your chance,
scuttles your ship some fine night when the weather's favourable, and
goes ashore with your swag, as a castaway seaman whose ship has sprung a
leak and foundered. Pooh! don't tell me. The thing could be easy
enough done."

"Then, I s'pose you're one o' those chaps who wouldn't mind layin' hands
on other people's goods?" quietly inquired Parsons.

"Ah! I see you've misunderstood me altogether, or you wouldn't ask such
a question as that, shipmate," replied Williams. "No--if you mean by
`laying my hands on other people's goods,' would I go to any of your
chests and help myself--I would not. I'm not a thief; I'm as honest as
ever a man here. You've got nothing in any of your chests, I reckon,
but what I call _necessaries_--things a man needs and has a right to
have. But--it may seem a strange thing to say, mates, yet it's what I
think--no man has a right to more than he needs of anything whilst other
people have to go short. Why, for example, should some people have more
cash than they know how to spend--and that, too, without working for
it--whilst we poor sailor-men have to strive night and day, in fair
weather and foul, just to keep soul and body from parting company? I
say it ain't fair; things ain't evenly divided, as they should be.
We've just as much right to ride about in a carriage as any of them
swells ashore--we're just as good men as they are--and if I had the
chance I'd think I was doing no wrong to help myself to a little of
their spare cash to make myself comfortable with. That's what _I_ think
about it."

"Ay, ay," muttered one or two, "that sounds fair enough when you come t