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been shipped. To his surprise, as he attacked the dinner, he found Quincy and Benson, each with a similar outfit of tinware, toying with the food, and paying no attention to the polyglot discourse of the other men regarding the ship, the mates, and the food. But they glared menacingly at Rogers as he entered. "This your work, Rogers?" demanded Quincy. "Were you in cahoots with that saloonkeeper?" "Shut up!" answered Rogers, stabbing at a piece of salt beef with his knife. "We won't shut up!" said Benson, spooning up pea soup with his brand new tin spoon. "This increases your sentence to the extent of a shorter shrift." "Go to the devil, the pair of you! I was doped and shanghaied myself, and I've run foul o' the mates, same as you did--and for less reason, too." "Well, they'll sweat for this, and you, too, Rogers!" said Quincy. "Shut up! You're up against something now that gunplay doesn't figure in. You're aboard a Yankee hell ship, and you've got to make the best of it." "I wouldn't if I had my gun," said Quincy, moodily. "Yes," added Benson, "with a gun I could have my own way." Rogers straightened back, looked them steadily in their faces, and said, "If you had your guns, what would you do?" "Make this ship put back and land us," answered Quincy. "Benson," said Rogers, "what would you do with a gun?" "Shoot 'em full of holes until they turned this boat back." "Are you game?" said Rogers. "Understand that you'll be alone. I wouldn't help you; for, having been a sailor, I know what mutiny means in the courts. I'd rather go back with either of you to stand trial than to engage in open mutiny." "Hang your mutiny!" said Quincy. "We're not sailors; we never agreed to make this voyage. I'm an officer of the law." "Feel the same way, Benson?" asked Rogers. "The same. Give me a gun, and I'll make that Captain and his two assistants walk a chalkline." The rest of the men, engaged with their dinner, had paid no attention to this discourse, and Rogers rose up, reached into his bag, and produced the note he had found there on wakening. "Listen," he said: "'BILL ROGERS:--You seem to be a square fellow and up against it. I had to dope you because you would not have signed if you knew the other two would have gone along. But I needed just three men; so I doped you all. You'll find their guns and belts in your bag. Of course, you will know what to do if you get in trouble
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