My name's Despard--Jet here and Cope."

She acknowledged the introductions.

"I've friends down here," she said, with a little catch of her breath.
"I was wondering if you--any of you gentlemen had seen them?"

"Your man, Gus Carline an' that writin' feller, Terabon?" Jet asked,
without delicacy. Her cheeks flamed.

"Yes!" she whispered.

"Terabon took him down to Mendova or Memphis," Despard said. "Carline
was--was on the cabin and the boat lurched when the steamboat passing
drawed. He drapped over and hit a spark plug on the head!"

"Was he badly hurt?"

"Not much--kind of a lump, that's all."

She looked down at Fort Pillow Bluff. The pirates awaited her pleasure,
staring at her to their heart's content. They envied her husband and
Terabon; they felt the strangeness of the situation. She was following
those two men down. She was part of the river tide, drifting by; she had
shot Prebol, their pal, and had cleverly ascertained their knowledge of
him while insuring that they had fair warning.

Her boat drifted down till it was opposite them, and then, with quick
decision, she caught up a handy line, and said:

"I'm going to tie in a little while. I've been alone clear down from
Caruthersville; I want to talk to somebody!"

She threw the rope, and they caught and made it fast. They swung her
boat in, ran a plank from stern to bow, and Despard gave her his hand.
She came on board, and they sat on the stern deck to talk. Only one kind
of woman could have done that with safety, but she was that kind. She
had shot a man down for a look.

The three pirates took one of the fat young geese, plucked and dressed
it, and baked it in a hot oven, with dressing, sweet potatoes,
hot-bread, and a pudding which she mixed up herself.

For three hours they gossiped, and before she knew it, she had told them
about Prebol, about Parson Rasba introducing them. The pirates shouted
when she told of Jest's apology. With river frankness, they said they
thought a heap of Terabon, who minded his own business so cleverly.

"I like him, too," she admitted. "I was afraid you boys might make
trouble for Carline, though. He don't know much about people, treating
them right."

"He's one of those ignorant Up-the-Bankers," Despard said.

"Oh, I know him." She shrugged her shoulders a little bitterly.

As they ate the goose in camaraderie, the pirates took to warning and
advising her about the Lower River; they told her who would treat