A Man to His Mate

t of 'em, work yore passage, an' thank 'em for nothing when they divvy the stuff an' leave you out? Yo

seem to be between the devil and the deep sea. Carlsen has got some plan to outwit the men. I

Not afore the gold's in the hold. One thing, he knows the hunters wouldn't stand for it. They've got dust in their eyes right now-gold-dust, chucked there by Carlsen, but

Settin' aside that Carlsen's bullin' 'em, as you say. Equal? They ain't my equal, none of 'em, man to man. All men are born free an' equal, says the Constitution an' by-laws of th

re'n that, if enny of 'em thinks he's my equal all he's got to do is say so, an' I'll give him a chance to prove it. Feel those arms, matey, size me

e was a confident strength of spirit aside from his physical condition that emanated from Lund as steam comes from a kettle. It was the sort of strength that lies in a st

nto Hamburg steak. An' I've got brains enough

he gun," wa

f his gun's the only thing trubblin' you, forget it. You an' me got to know where we stand. It's up to you. I won't blame you for shiftin' over. An' I can git along without you, if need be.

that the beard could not hide, at the great barrel of his chest, the boughlike arms, the swelling thighs and

lity of the man's vigor but, for the moment, remembering his earlier simile, Lund appeared a blind Samson who, b

his hands," he said, still evading Lund's

in a bad way. Ennyhow, he's out of it for the time bein', Rainey. I don't think he'll be presen

ainey. "I don't believe sh

d die if she don't marry him, likely'll git the skipper to tie the knot. It 'ud be legal. But if you're interested about the gal, Rainey, an' I take it you are, I'm tellin' you that Carlsen'll marry her if it suits his book. If it don't

rlsen started anything like that I'd kill him with my own h

ut so far he's boss. An' he's the gal's father. All's usual an' reg'lar. But you turn this schooner into a free-an'-easy, equal shares-to-all, go-as-you-please outfit, let 'em

sore-heads, an' they'll remember there's a gal in the after-cabin, which won't be the after-cabin enny more, fo

gambled it away. Jest a bunch of beasts, matey, whenever they think of that gal. They'll be too much for Carlsen to hand

running hot and fast. His imagination was instinct to

an-" he

ullies know about a good gal-or care? They only know one sort. Ever think what happened to a woman in privateer days wh

" said Rainey. "How about yo

eep wigglin', there ain't enny hunter or seaman goin' to harm a decent gal. That's another way they ain't my equal, Rainey. Savvy?

an go, Lund. I'm wi

and caught at Rainey's in mid-air, gripping it t

hey like it. Watch my smoke. Now, then, keep out of Carlsen's way all you can. He may try an' pick a row with you that'll put

there. That'll be better. They'll probably have some fool agreement to sign. Carlsen would do that. Make 'em all feel it's more like a

Carlsen's game is,

week, Deming an' one or two others would have won it all. Then-he'd have the only gun-he'd shoot the lot of 'em an' say they died at sea. He ain't g

l the crew, if necessary, resolved to save the girl, but, as Lund stayed below and the time

Blind as he was, Lund was the better man of the two of them, Rainey felt; it was better to attempt to seize the horns of the dilemma than

g she needed a friend aboard the Karluk; the young clean beauty of her, nerved him to stand with Lund against the odds. Lund was fighting for his rights, for his gold, but he ha

erved the schooner instead of hindering her. Rainey turned over the wheel to a seaman and paced the deck. The bite in the air had increased until even the sma

ncied that the rigging would have been glazed where the spray struck it. As it was, the canvas seemed

mainmast a gray-breasted bird with wide, unmoving pinions hung without apparent motion, its ruby eyes watching t

clouds, and the Karluk slid on through the seething seas in a scene of strange loneliness, save

ious hints were unsatisfactory. He could not believe them without some basis, but the giant would never go furt

he dismissed Hansen as an ally. The Scandinavian was too cautious, too apt to consider such things as odds. Sandy was useless,

n? It was not likely that he would be called to the conference. The Japanese undoubtedly knew the racial prejudice against him, a prejudice that Rainey considered sh

very frankly. He should have snatched it from the cabin cushions. But Tamada? He could not dismiss Tamada as an important factor. There was no question to Ra

ney thought there was such a reason. He treated Tamada with a courtesy that he had found other Japanese appreciated, and fancied that Tamada gradually came to regard him with a cer