ubt it," the Englishman assented dryly.

"Begging your pardon, sir, we asks to be taken back and punished by you.
Whatever you give us we'll take and not a word out of our heads. Say a
flogging and we'll thank you kindly, sir. But don't turn us over to the
law."

"Didn't I tell you what would come of it, Gallagher?"

"Yes, sir; you warned us straight. But that man Bothwell had us
bewitched."

"If you're taken ashore at Panama you'll be hanged."

"We know that, sir."

Blythe considered for a minute and announced his decision sharply.

"I'll give you another chance--you two and Higgins and young Fleming.
I'll not let you off scot-free, but your punishment will depend on how
faithful you are for the rest of the cruise."

Once I saw a man acquitted of murder in a courtroom. The verdict was
such a relief that he fainted. The captain's unexpected clemency took
these men the same way, for virtually he had untied the noose from their
necks. Tears started to their eyes. Plainly they were shaken with
emotion.

"You'll not regret it, sir. We'll be true to the death, Captain Blythe,"
the Irishman promised, his white lips trembling.

After Alderson's turn at the wheel came mine. Evelyn presently joined me
in the pilot-house.

"When shall we get ashore?" she asked me.

We were at the time, I remember, passing Taboga Island.

"Not till morning. We'll have to be inspected. To-night we'll lie in the
harbor."

"How is your hand?" she asked, glancing at my bruised fingers.

I flashed a look quickly at her.

"My hand! Oh, it's all right now."

"Jimmie's is better, too," she said quietly.

In the language of my boyhood I was up a stump. So I played for time.

"Jimmie's?"

"Yes. I have been taking care of it for him. His fingers were not
bruised much, though. It's odd, isn't it, that both of you were hurt in
exactly the same place--by accident?"

I murmured that it was strange.

"So I had a little talk with him," she went on quietly.

"Yes?"

"And he told me all about it. Oh, Jack, I didn't think even Boris would
do a thing like that!" She looked up at me with bright, misty eyes. "I
asked Gallagher and Neidlinger about it. They both told me how brave you
were."

"I'm grateful for their certificate of valor," I answered lightly.

Before I knew what she was at my sweetheart had stooped to kiss the
bruises above my knuckles. I snatched my hand away.

"Don't do that," I said gruffly. "It isn't exactly--you kno