. "Did you really flatter yourself,"
he said, "that your plans were so astutely devised--so cunningly
concealed that none but you and your partisans could possibly know
anything about them! Really, Mr Ralli, I fear you are greatly
overrating your own sagacity. But we appear to be wandering away from
the point. You were about to explain the meaning of an obscure remark
you made a minute or two ago?"

Lance had never removed his glance for a single instant from Ralli's
face since the commencement of the conversation; and he was
physiognomist enough to detect the signs of a fear almost approaching to
panic in the countenance of the Greek; he knew therefore that his bold
guess had not been very far from the truth; and he continued to puff his
cigar with all his wonted _insouciance_ as he waited calmly for the
reply to his interrogation.

"Yes," said Ralli, recovering his self-possession with evident effort.
"I was about to explain two things--First, I wish you to understand that
Johnson is _not_ my captain, nor is he the captain of _anyone_ now on
this island. We have thrown off our--what do you term it? our--"

"Allegiance?" blandly suggested Lance.

"Our allegiance--yes, that word will do; it explains my meaning, though
it is not the word I intended to use," answered Ralli. "We have thrown
off our allegiance. We are tired of him--this man Johnson--and we will
have no more of him; he will never return here; and now _I_ am capitan.
You understand!"

Lance nodded.

"Good. The next thing I was about to explain is, that his friends are
our enemies; you and your people especially. Is that plain?"

"Perfectly," answered Lance, still outwardly calm and unconcerned as
ever, though inwardly much perturbed. "And I presume you intend us to
accept these remarks of yours in the light of a threat of some kind?"

Ralli looked hard at his interrogator before replying. He could not in
the least understand this man who received with such perfect _sang-
froid_ the intelligence that he and his friends were to be regarded and
treated as the enemies of a company of ruthless outlaws such as he must
know Ralli and his associates to be.

"Yes," he said at last, slowly and almost doubtingly, "you may take what
I say as a threat. I mean to pay to you and your friends all the great
debt of vengeance which that other friend of yours, Johnson, has allowed
to accumulate against him. I will be doubly avenged; I will be avenged
upo