pecial
hankerin' after bein' a pirate, an' I never aimed ter be one; but,
seem' as how I am yere on this bark, an' can't easy get away, it don't
look like thar wus much choice, does it?"

LeVere appeared amused in his way, which was not a pleasant one.

"Oh, yes, friend, there is choice enough. Bill, here, had exactly the
same choice when he first came--hey, Bill? Remember how you signed on,
after we took you off the _Albatross_? This is how it stands,
Gates--either go forrard quietly yerself, er the both of us will kick
you there. We never give an order twice on the _Namur_. That will be
enough talk. If you do your work, all right; and if you don't, then
look out, my man--there will be plenty of hell waiting for you. Go on,
now."

It was a curt dismissal, coupled with a plain threat, easy to
understand. I obeyed the order gladly enough, slinking away into the
black shadows forward, realizing my good fortune, and seeking some
spot where I could be alone. The result was all that I could have
hoped for; my position on board was assured; my story had been
accepted without awakening the slightest suspicion; and it was
perfectly clear that no one on board the _Namur_ possessed the
slightest memory of the personal appearance of the poor fellow who had
been thrown overboard, and drowned. Even Haines believed me to be the
man. Of course I should be watched to some extent for a few days, my
willingness to serve noted, and my ability as a seaman put to the
test; but in this I had nothing to fear. I could play the assumed
character with little danger of any mishap. The only remaining peril
of discovery would come with the return of the absent boat, and the
necessity of my encountering the giant negro. Yet I was convinced even
this would not prove serious. If Cochose had glimpsed my features at
all during the course of our desperate struggle on the deck of the
sloop, the impression made on his mind must have been merely
momentary; and, besides, he would never once conceive it possible that
the same man could have reached the bark ahead of his return. Even if
such a suspicion dawned, I was now in a position to positively
establish my arrival aboard the _Namur_ early the evening previous,
and before their expedition had departed.

I felt so safe, and so content with my success thus far, as to already
believe thoroughly in the final result of my mission. This confidence
developed almost into sheer recklessness. There were some di