Part 44 (1/2)
”You're of a sanguine temperament.”
”Poof! Life is a game of cards. First you hold trumps, then they fall to me. It chances that now I hold the whip and ride on the crest of fortune's wave. Hope you don't mind mixed figures.”
”You'll ride at the end of the hangman's rope,” I prophesied.
”Let us look on the bright side.”
”I'm trying to do that.”
The man knew something that I did not. I was not bandying repartee with him for pleasure, but because I knew that if he talked long enough he would drop the card hidden up his sleeve.
What was his ace of trumps? How could he afford to sit back and let us dig up the gold? He could not be merely bluffing, for the man had been laughing at me from that first wave of the hand.
”It is unfortunate that you and I don't pull together, Mr. Sedgwick.
We'd make an invincible team. You're the best enemy I ever met.”
”And you're the worst I've met.”
”Same thing, I a.s.sure you. We both mean compliments. But what I want to say is that it is against the law of conservation of energy for us to be opposing each other. I propose combination instead of compet.i.tion.”
”Be a little more definite, please.”
”Chuck your friends overboard and go into partners.h.i.+p with me.”
”Are you speaking literally, or in metaphor, captain?”
He shrugged.
”That's a mere detail. If you have compunctions we'll maroon them.”
”Just what you promised the crew last time,” I scored.
”Wharf rats!” He waved the point aside magnificently. ”I'm proposing now a gentleman's agreement.”
”Which you'll keep as long as it suits you.”
”I thought you knew me better.”
”What have you to offer? My friends and I can keep the treasure. Why should I ditch them for you? What's the _quid pro quo_?”
”You and Evie and I will go shares, third and third alike. The better man of us two will marry her. If it should be you, that will give you two-thirds.”
”You're very generous.”
”Oh, I intend to marry her if I can. But I'll play fair. If she has the bad taste to prefer you----”
”In the event that I should happen to be alive still,” I amended. ”You know how dangerous yellow fever is in the Isthmus, captain. I am afraid that it would get me before we reached the ca.n.a.l zone again.”