"I have that privilege, sir," replied a swart-faced lieutenant.

"Then kindly inform your friends that at the first sign of any monkey
trick I'll send you all to kingdom come."

The officer complied presumably with this command, and when he had
finished, addressed Maclean:

"You cannot intend to maroon us, sir?" he cried. "The island yonder is
totally uninhabited."

"You're a liar!" retorted Maclean. "Fires don't light themselves. Look
yonder."

The officer choked back an oath. "Have a care what you are doing, sir,"
he muttered in a strangled voice. "This will lead to a war between your
country and mine."

"I guess not--not even if I hanged the lot of you--you dirty pirates.
But if it did, what then?"

"You should see, sir."

"And so would you--see that Englishmen can fight a durned sight better
than the Japs. I guess you know how _they_ fight by this."

"I have always heard that the English are generous foes, sir----"

"None of your blarney," interrupted Maclean. "Short shrift to pirates,
is an English motto. You sank our ship: we take yours. Fair exchange is
no robbery. You should be thankful to get off with your skins."

"At least permit us to take with us our personal belongings."

"Not a match."

"Some provisions?"

"Not a biscuit."

"Some arms, then, to defend ourselves against the natives, if we are
attacked?"

"Not a penknife."

"Sir, you condemn us to death!"

"Sir, we have but forestalled your intention in regard to us!"

"As God hears me, sir----"

"Shut up!" cried Maclean, "your voice hurts my ears."

Nevertheless, when all was ready, Maclean commanded Sievers to stock the
boats with water and provisions, and to throw some fifty swords and
bayonets aboard. Then began the debarkation. Using the officer who could
speak English as his mouthpiece, Maclean commanded the crew of the
_Nevski_ to file out one by one from the forecastle, and slide down a
rope over the vessel's bows into the waiting boats. They numbered one
hundred and thirty-three all told, but not a man offered to resist, and
within an hour the last boat had sheered off, carrying with its hale
company the still unconscious bodies of the Russian captain and the
officer of the watch. Maclean's next business was to bury the dead,
which done, he searched the ship. He made two discoveries: He found in
the captain's cabin a chest containing no less than fifteen thousand
golden rubles; and locked away in one of the disused bat