nted me to leave the deck--so much was
plain; but with what purpose I could in no way imagine. His eyes never
met mine; they kept wandering to and fro, up and down, now with a look to
the sky, now with a flitting glance upon the dead O'Brien. All the time
he kept smiling, and putting his tongue out in the most guilty,
embarrassed manner, so that a child could have told that he was bent on
some deception. I was prompt with my answer, however, for I saw where my
advantage lay; and that with a fellow so densely stupid I could easily
conceal my suspicions to the end.

"Some wine?" I said. "Far better. Will you have white or red?"

"Well, I reckon it's about the blessed same to me, shipmate," he replied;
"so it's strong, and plenty of it, what's the odds?"

"All right," I answered. "I'll bring you port, Mr. Hands. But I'll have
to dig for it."

With that I scuttled down the companion with all the noise I could,
slipped off my shoes, ran quietly along the sparred gallery, mounted the
forecastle ladder, and popped my head out of the fore-companion. I knew
he would not expect to see me there; yet I took every precaution
possible; and certainly the worst of my suspicions proved too true.

He had risen from his position to his hands and knees; and, though his
leg obviously hurt him pretty sharply when he moved--for I could hear him
stifle a groan--yet it was at a good, rattling rate that he trailed
himself across the deck. In half a minute he had reached the port
scuppers, and picked, out of a coil of rope, a long knife, or rather a
short dirk, discoloured to the hilt with blood. He looked upon it for a
moment, thrusting forth his underjaw, tried the point upon his hand, and
then, hastily concealing it in the bosom of his jacket, trundled back
again into his old place against the bulwark.

This was all that I required to know. Israel could move about; he was now
armed; and if he had been at so much trouble to get rid of me, it was
plain that I was meant to be the victim. What he would do
afterwards--whether he would try to crawl right across the island from
North Inlet to the camp among the swamps, or whether he would fire Long
Tom, trusting that his own comrades might come first to help him, was, of
course, more than I could say.

Yet I felt sure that I could trust him in one point, since in that our
interests jumped together, and that was in the disposition of the
schooner. We both desired to have her stranded safe enoug