time to scrape out the bowl, whittle off
a palmful of tobacco, roll it, and stuff it into the bowl with a care
which did not spill a speck of it. When it was fairly burning, he
swept the island with his keen eyes and suggested that they take a
walk.

The two made a circle of the barren acres which made up the island and
returned to their starting point with scarcely a word having been
spoken. Stubbs picked out a bit of log facing the ship and sat down.
He waved his hand towards the yacht.

"That," he said, "is the craft that'll take us there--if it don't go
down."

"Why don't we go aboard, then?" ventured Wilson.

"'Cause why? 'Cause we're goneter wait fer the other fishermen."

"I hope they have found as comfortable a fishing-ground as we have."

He studied Stubbs a moment and then asked abruptly,

"What's the meaning of this fishing story?"

Stubbs turned upon him with a face as blank as the cloudless sky
above.

"If I was goneter give a bright young man advice 'bout this very
trip," he answered slowly, "it would be not to ask any questions."

"I don't consider it very inquisitive to want to know what I'm
shipping on," he returned with some heat.

"Ye said ye wanted t' git somewhere near Carlina, didn't ye?"

"Yes."

"An' ye said ye didn't care how you gut there so long's ye gut
there."

"Yes," admitted Wilson.

"Well--ye're on yer way to Carlina now. An' if we ain't blown t' hell,
as likely 'nuff we will be, an' if we don't all git our bloomin'
throats cut like I dreamed 'bout, er if the ship ain't scuttled as
we'll have a precious crew who 'u'd do it in a second, we'll git
there."

He paused as though expecting some reply, but already Wilson had lost
interest in his query before other speculations of warmer interest.

"In the meanwhile," ran on Stubbs, "'tain't bad right here. Shouldn't
wonder though but what we gut an old hellion of a thunder shower 'fore
long."

"How do you figure that out without a cloud in the sky?"

"Don't figure it out. Don't ever figure nothin' out, 'cause nothin'
ever comes out right. Only sech things is jus' my luck."

He puffed a moment at his pipe, and then, removing it, turned to the
young man beside him with a renewed interest which seemed to be the
result of his meditation.

"See here, m' boy, I'm thinkin' that if you and I c'uld sorter pull
together on this trip it 'u'd be a good thing fer us both. I reckon
I'll need a man or two at my side what I can depe