ttack on the pearl-buyer.

"How do you know from the sound of the anchor that it was this
whatever-you-called-him man?" he challenged.

"There are so many things that go to make up such a judgment," Peter
Gee answered. "It's very hard to explain. It would require almost a text
book."

"I thought so," Deacon sneered. "Explanation that doesn't explain is
easy."

"Who's for bridge?" Eddy Little, the second clerk, interrupted, looking
up expectantly and starting to shuffle. "You'll play, won't you, Peter?"

"If he does, he's a bluffer," Deacon cut back. "I'm getting tired of all
this poppycock. Mr. Gee, you will favour me and put yourself in a
better light if you tell how you know who that man was that just dropped
anchor. After that I'll play you piquet."

"I'd prefer bridge," Peter answered. "As for the other thing,
it's something like this: By the sound it was a small craft--no
square-rigger. No whistle, no siren, was blown--again a small craft. It
anchored close in--still again a small craft, for steamers and big ships
must drop hook outside the middle shoal. Now the entrance is tortuous.
There is no recruiting nor trading captain in the group who dares to run
the passage after dark. Certainly no stranger would. There _were_ two
exceptions. The first was Margonville. But he was executed by the High
Court at Fiji. Remains the other exception, David Grief. Night or
day, in any weather, he runs the passage. This is well known to all. A
possible factor, in case Grief were somewhere else, would be some young
dare-devil of a skipper. In this connection, in the first place, I don't
know of any, nor does anybody else. In the second place, David Grief is
in these waters, cruising on the _Gunga_, which is shortly scheduled to
leave here for Karo-Karo. I spoke to Grief, on the _Gunga_, in Sandfly
Passage, day before yesterday. He was putting a trader ashore on a new
station. He said he was going to call in at Babo, and then come on to
Goboto. He has had ample time to get here. I have heard an anchor drop.
Who else than David Grief can it be? Captain Donovan is skipper of the
_Gunga_, and him I know too well to believe that he'd run in to Goboto
after dark unless his owner were in charge. In a few minutes David
Grief will enter through that door and say, 'In Guvutu they merely drink
between drinks.' I'll wager fifty pounds he's the man that enters and
that his words will be, 'In Guvutu they merely drink between drinks. '"
De