here the fellow spat upon the floor--"he was screeching and
howling and yelling as though the d--l was basting him already."

"Who's with him now?" says one of the fellows at the table.

"Who's with him?" says the other, in a mightily contemptuous tone. "Why,
d'ye think that anybody would be such a ---- ---- fool as to stay with him
now, with nothing to be got for it but the black tongue and a cursing?"

"But what I say is this," said an ill-looking one-eyed fellow: "he's not
the man to serve his trade for all these here years and nothing to show
for it. It's all very well to say that Jack Mackra shot the hoops off
his luck; but you mark my words, he's got a cable out to windward
somewhere, and he ain't goin' to run on the lee shore with an empty
hold." I was so amazed to hear my own name spoken that I knew not at
first whether to believe that which mine ears had heard or whether they
had heard aright. Then it was as though a sudden light flashed upon me.
I needed not the next speech to tell me everything.

"Well," says one of the fellows, "even if so be as Ned England is going
to smell brimstone before this time to-morrow, I for one see no reason
to lose our game. Come along, Blake," he sang out to the fellow who had
been speaking to me, and who rejoined the others upon being bidden.

I was in a great ferment of spirits at all this, for I perceived very
clearly that England was mightily sick, and perhaps dying, with that
dangerous fever known as the "black tongue," from which it is a rare
thing for a man to recover with his life.

I observed that the fellow who had lately come into the ordinary did not
join in the game along with the rest, but sat looking on. By-and-by I
contrived to catch his eye as he glanced in my direction, whereupon I
beckoned to him, and he came over to the table where I sat. Only a few
words passed between us, and those in a very low tone.

"Is Ned England all alone?" said I.

"Yes," said he.

"Will you show me where he is?" said I.

He shot a quick look at me from under his brows. "How much will you
give?"

"A guinea" said I.

"I'll do it."

"When?"

"To-morrow morning."

That was all that passed, and then he moved away and joined the others
at the table.

The next morning I purchased a good large pistol from mine host, for I
saw that with such companions as I was like to fall in with I would need
some sort of weapon to protect myself. Having loaded it with a brace of
slugs