a Chinese dollar. It is
worth shillings. You get many glasses of rack-ponch. You take it?" and
as he spoke he thrust his hand into his pocket and drew out in the
darkness a broad piece.

"It won't do," said Smithers. "You will be only getting me into more
trouble, mister."

"You will not take it?"

"Not me."

"Then I shall keep it and spend it myself." With a good deal of
gesticulation the speaker thrust the coin back into his pocket, and gave
it a heavy slap. "Now, you say to me that my boat is gone, and you say
that my men could not see me if I hold up my hand?"

"That's right, sir."

"Very well. You are very clever, but I know also two or three things.
I shall go down to the pier, and call out to my men, `Ahoy!' and then go
into the water and swim till they pick me up and put me in a dry place
in the boat. Now, what do you say to that?"

"Only this, mister. What do you think your men, if they come, will pick
up?"

"Me--myself, sir, with my butterfly moths and my little lanterrne."

"Ho!" said Smithers dryly. "And what about the crocs?"

"I do not understand."

"I see you don't," said the sentry. "What about the great crocodiles
that have been waiting about there all night?"

"The crocodile!" said the visitor; and it was not light enough to see,
but the stranger's jaw dropped, and he remained silent till Smithers
spoke again.

"Understand that, mister?"

"Yes; you say that to frighten me. You talk one minute about using your
_fusil_ to shoot me, and I am not afraid. Then you say you throw me to
the crocodile, and still I am not afraid."

"Then look ye here," said Smithers, "you just give me that little pistol
thing you were going to pull out."

"What! Sir, I re-fuse."

Smithers stuck the mouth of his rifle against the stranger's
breast-bone, and pressed upon it heavily.

"Sit down," he said.

"I will not sit down! I re-fuse."

"Mind," said Smithers. "I don't want this rifle to go off."

"You dare--you dare not shoot," cried the visitor; but as he spoke he
began to subside slowly, as if still mentally resisting, till the sentry
raised his foot quickly, gave a sharp thrust, and his prisoner went down
suddenly upon his back, with the sentry's right foot upon his chest.

"Now then, no nonsense. Hand up that pistol."

The prisoner's hand went rapidly to his waist as if with the intent of
snatching out and making use of his revolver, but quick as a flash the
sentry's rifle w