FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278  
279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   >>   >|  
sitate between money and revenge on her?" "All right," Fred answered. "The map, then--what about it?" "Take me with you and the map is yours!" "Show it to me, then!" "I must have a share of the ivory!" "Show me the map first!" Coutlass searched inside his flannel shirt--swiftly--more swiftly--angrily. His jaw dropped. Even between the fire-light and the moonlight one could judge that his color changed--and changed again. "Show me the map before we bargain!" Fred insisted. "Hurry, man! There's Mr. Yerkes with the canoe. We can't wait here all night!" "It is gone!" admitted Coutlass. "Some one stole it!" "I could have told you that in the first place," Fred informed him, rising to his feet. "I have the map in my pocket." "You stole it?" Coutlass gasped. "Certainly not. Rebecca stole it while she was supposed to be sleeping in your arms!" "Gassharamminy! I might have known it! Those Syrians--she meant to give us all the slip and find the ivory herself!" "Nothing of the Sort!" said Fred. "She stole it from you, to give it to Lady Saffren Waldon! Kazimoto saw her do it--saw where Lady Waldon hid it--and stole it from her while she slept to give to me, believing it to be something of mine. Here it is!" Fred let the end of a folded map protrude from his inner pocket just far enough for Coutlass to recognize it by the fire-light. The Greek turned on his heel. "All right!" he said ruefully, swinging suddenly round again. "If you were alone I would fight you, my knife against your rifle! I can not fight all four of you! Go away then, and be damned! I have nothing to offer. There is nothing I can do. Leave me, and I will look after myself!" "Now you're talking like a man." said Fred. "Leave me that woman of yours, and go to hell, all of you!" laughed the Greek. Fred seemed suddenly possessed of a bright idea. He turned to the woman and beckoned her to rise. Then in unmistakable pantomime he went through the motions of presenting her to Coutlass. The woman gasped--stammered something that was positively not consent--stared with frightened eyes at Coutlass--shook her shaven head violently--and ran away into the darkness, pursued by roars of laughter that speeded her on her way. "A clear case of desertion!" announced Fred judicially. "You men are witnesses!" Then he turned once more to Coutlass. "I don't think we'll leave you to raise Cain on this island. It depe
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278  
279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Coutlass

 

turned

 

Waldon

 

pocket

 

gasped

 
suddenly
 

changed

 

swiftly

 
laughed
 

bright


possessed
 
talking
 

damned

 

announced

 
judicially
 

desertion

 

speeded

 

witnesses

 

island

 
laughter

presenting

 

stammered

 
positively
 

consent

 

motions

 

unmistakable

 
pantomime
 

stared

 
frightened
 
darkness

pursued

 

violently

 
shaven
 

beckoned

 

Nothing

 

Yerkes

 

insisted

 

bargain

 

informed

 
admitted

moonlight

 

answered

 

sitate

 

revenge

 

searched

 
dropped
 

angrily

 

inside

 

flannel

 
rising