went down to supper. The girl was not present.
Carlsen appeared in an unusual mood.

"I was a bit hasty, Rainey," he said, with all appearance of sincerity.
"I've been worried a bit over the skipper. He's in a bad way.

"Forget what happened, if you can. I apologize. Though I still think
your interference in my private affairs unwarranted. I'll call it
square, if you will."

He nodded across the table at Rainey, saving the latter a reply which he
was rather at a loss how to word. Amenities from Carlsen were likely a
Greek gift. And Carlsen rattled on during the meal in high good spirits,
rallying Rainey about his poker game with the hunters, joking Lund about
his shooting, talking of the landfall they expected the next day.

To Rainey's surprise Lund picked up the talk. There was a subtle,
sardonic flavor to it on both sides and, once in a while, as Tamada,
like an animated sphinx, went about his duties, Rainey saw the eyes of
Carlsen turned questioningly upon the giant as if a bit puzzled
concerning the exact spirit of his sallies.

Rainey admired while he marveled at the sheer skill of Lund in this sort
of a fencing bout. He never went far enough to arouse Carlsen's
suspicions, yet he showed a keen sense of humorous appreciation of
Carlsen's half-satirical sallies that, in the light of Sandy's
revelation, showed the doctor considered himself the master of the
situation, the winner of a game whose pieces were already on the board,
though the players had not yet taken their places. Yet Rainey fancied
that Carlsen qualified his dismissal of Lund as a "blind fool" before
they rose from the table, without disturbing his own equanimity as the
craftier of the two.

Later, when his watch was ended and he was closeted with Lund in the
latter's cabin, the giant promptly quashed all discussion of Tamada's
attitude.

"I'll put no trust in any slant-eyed, yellow-skinned rice-eater," he
announced emphatically. "They're against us, race an' religion. They
want California, or rather, the Pacific coast, an' they think they're
goin' to git it. They're no more akin to us than a snake is a cousin to
an eel. They're not of our breed, an' you can't mix the two. I'll have
no deal with Tamada, beyond gettin' dope out of him. If he helped us it
'ud be only to further his own ends. Not that he can do much--unless--"

He lowered his voice to a husky whisper.

"There's one thing may slip in our gold-gettin', matey," he said--"the
Japa