pard on a still hunt
when Captain Jarrow returned from his conference which resulted in
a tentative charter of the _Nuestra Senora del Rosario_, with
himself as master and Peth as mate.

Jarrow was in a state bordering between exhaltation at his success
and collapse over the narrow margin by which he had put through a
deal which at one time appeared as elusive as a chimera.

"Give me a Picon, and make it strong," said Jarrow to the bar-boy,
disregarding Peth, while he scrubbed his face with a handkerchief.

"Hook up?" asked Peth, edging along the bar until he had an elbow
against Jarrow's side.

"Mighty Nelson!" whispered Jarrow. "It was a lee shore, and no
mistake. Looney lied."

"Lied!" whispered Peth.

"They never told him they wanted us," continued Jarrow, with due
caution, glancing about the deserted bar. "But I put it through.
They're swells and no mistake."

"Then it's a go, skipper?"

"We get out in the morning. It's to be quiet. We clear for Vigan
with passengers. Take rock ballast this afternoon, and git stores
aboard. Locke give me free rein for everything needed, and I'm to
draw on him at the Hong Kong-Shanghai bank. We ought to clean up.
Pipe down, here's the dude clerk."

"You saw Mr. Locke?" asked Wilkins, with a genial air, as he came
in from the office, consumed with curiosity.

"Oh, yes," said Jarrow. "He's a nice man."

"Raw-ther," said Wilkins.

"I hear he's rich," said Jarrow.

Wilkins smiled knowingly. "Millions," he said.

Peth looked at Jarrow quickly, and whistled faintly through his
teeth.

"I guess you know me," said Jarrow. "I been up here a few times now
and then on business."

"You're a Manila man, aren't you?" asked Wilkins. "I don't place
your name but your face is familiar."

"I'm Captain Jarrow, head of the Inter-Island Wreckin' Company. I
got a big business, in a way. Everybody knows me in my line. I'm
the man who done the divin' for the gover'ment."

"Oh, yes," said Wilkins.

"I'd like for you to say a good word for me, if it falls your way,
to this Mr. Locke--and Trask."

"Sure," said Wilkins.

"Who does this Mr. Trask happen to be?" asked Jarrow.

"Mining man," said Wilkins.

"Oh."

"Yes, he was talking with Looney Dinshaw. Seems he came out here
from China to look after the island. I knew him down in Colombo,
when I managed a hotel."

"Lookin' for the island!" exclaimed Jarrow. "That's news to me."

"I thought maybe that's why you called," said