A Man to His Mate

e skipper," said C

Rainey had a fleeting fancy that the giant winked one of hi

expected to find the skipper alone, and he was pretty sure that Carlsen had also expected this. The drawn express

our father," he sa

d him t

s had sunken, dark hollows showed under his closed eyes, the bones of his skull projected, and his flesh

ay since last night, following a collapse. I can b

dollar, and held it before her father's lips. Wh

not rouse h

e that held a hard quality for all its despon

by that?" he ask

m as if measurin

that Doctor Carlsen gave him relief. I know that he did, for there were days at first when father had to stay in bed from the pain. It was in his left leg, and then it showed in frightful headaches, and he complained of pain about th

ctor has changed. It is as if he was a dual personality-like Jekyll and Hyde-and now he is always Hyde. It is the gold that has turned his brain, his whole behavior from what he was in California before fat

ey supplied the gap,

would ma

derstand. Last night father asked me to do this thing. Not because of any threat-he did not seem conscious of anything underhanded. He told me he looked upon the doctor as a s

ck. Last night my refusal caused convulsions, and then-the collapse! What can I do? If I m

ony of self-ques

here-like that. I

gold. If he marries you, I believe it is only for your share, for what you will get from your father. It can not be right to do a wrong thing. No good cou

What can he do? And he accused

or, and it started to

ad no idea I should interrupt a tête-á-tête. Are you

orn mounted to his own so swiftly that Carlsen's hand fell aw

him round, all right ag

pper's strange malady. It was nine o'clock, an hour to the meeting. He went down to his own room and sat on the bunk, smoking, trying to piece up the

men out of it all, that would be unnecessary. Did he really love the girl? Or was his lust for gold mingled with a passion for poss

ht for the gold; Rainey would battle for the girl's sanctity. A

ed characters, were present, but only three of the seamen, awkward and diffident at being aft. The nine,

etween the main cabin and the corridor leading to the galley was locked after

ut to be made, the giant shed his tenseness. Even his grim face softened a trifle. He seemed to regard the affair with a c

nd, but deferred its reading unt

the lookout as much as the man at the wheel, the common seaman, the navigator. And, when a ship is engage

m captain to-coo

qual, his reward should be also equal. It seems to me that this status of affairs is arrived at more naturally aboard the Karluk than it migh

efore intending that all her children shall share her heritage, has washed up on a beach from some deep-sea vein and th

t evidently assumed the attributes of leader, despite the fact that ten of the twelve at the table we

a crude democracy if it was established, a license that threatened the girl, now, he imagined, watching her f

e expenditure of capital. If it were, it would not alter the principle of the thing. It is of nature's own providing

gination, a crude collection of water-front drifters, more or less wrecked specimens of humanity who went to sea because they had no other capacity-we

nters, more independent, more intelligent, seemed expecting an outburst

. The idea is to divvy the gold into equal parts, ain't it? How does she split? There's twenty-f

nswered. "It don't. The J

ain't a

up a collection for Sandy. Rainey ain't in on the deal. We spl

eck him. He appeared not quite certain of the temper of the hunte

andy. You an' me, an' Carlsen an' Harris there"-he nodded toward one of the seaman delegates

at Harris and, for ju

den scrutiny of all the hunters, found speech: "How in hell did you

d Lund composedly. "It's allus open. B

t the sally. Carlsen

so far, hasn't had a chance to get the equal share that belongs to him by rights. That's wh

ndy. Seems to me yore argumin

?" replied Carlsen. His voice had altered quality

Carlsen for sheepherder. I'm talking," he went on in a tone that suddenly leaped to thunder. "None of you have got the brains of Carlsen, becoz he had to put this scheme inter yore noddles. Deming, you think yo're a better man than Harris, you know damn

same as his daughter, gets almost as much. You men were offered a share on top of yore wages if you wanted to take the chance-two shares to the hunters. It was dam

gamble it off to Deming. Is there one of you 'ud have got off thet floe an', blind as I was, turned up ag

damned bit of paper an' light yore pipe

p showing in a grin, tapping the table with the folded paper in one hand, the other in his lap, leaning

An' he figgers thet way on pullin' down three shares to yore one. You say Rainey ain't in on the deal. He's as much so as Car

or. But Rainey sensed that he was making a mistake. He was letting Lund go too far. The men were listening to Lund, and he knew that th

n' blind. It was ice-blink got me. Then ophthalmy matterin' up my eye

uare finger, thatched with red wool, direct at

the only string he's got on ye. Nor the three shares he expects to pull down. He made you pore suckers fire off all your shells; he found out you ain't got

ar. He dropped the paper. His face paled, the vein

gun yet, Lund

confident that the men glanced

Niphablepsia, they call snow-blindness. I'll bet you never heard of it. Yo're only a woman-conning dope-shooter! Else you'd have known that niphablepsia ain't

om his eyes and flinging them at Carlsen, who was forced to throw up a hand to ward them off. Rainey got

s he leaped up and the automatic shone in his hand. Lund had folded

make him draw his gun. Giant as he was, he moved with the grace of a panther, with a swiftness too fast for the eye

slumped down into his chair, his arms clubbing the table, his gun falling from his nerveless hand, hi

yes, surveyed the scattering group of men who stared at the

Jest killed a skunk. Rainey, git that gu

er eyes fixed on Lund with repulsion. As Rainey got the automatic, slipped it int

derer!"

, but there was no

jump for'ard, all of you. Deming, unlock that door. Jump! Equ

they all halted, save Deming, who sullenly fitt

arlsen's sagging body. "When you git tired of

doctor and they all filed forward, silen

hey're still sufferin' from gold-blink, but I'll clean their

ned. He carried a tray of dishes and c

ada," said Lund. "He's lost his appetite-per

r," he a

ried to shoot first, goaded to it; his death was deserved; but it seemed to Rainey that Lund's exhibition of savagery was unnecessary.

ime I got our reckonin'." He went into the doctor's cabin and came o

e puddle of blood where Carlsen's head had struck the table, turned,

r eyes as Tamada methodically

n took away her hands and

at dad deserted him. And the doctor, who might have saved

ring some attempts at cons

at, unmerited as it was, stung Rainey

ng on with his table-laying. Rainey saw that he had left Carlsen's place vacant. He listened for a moment, but heard nothi