Part 11 (1/2)

”I'll attend to this end of it,” he said. ”Peggy, you had better go in to your father. I'll be in there in a minute. He's a pretty sick man,”

he added.

His snarl had changed to a smile, and he seemed to have swiftly controlled himself. The girl looked at both of them and slowly went into the captain's room. Carlsen wheeled on Rainey, his face once more a mask of hate.

”I'll put you where you belong, you d.a.m.ned interloper,” he said. ”What in h.e.l.l do you mean by asking her that question?”

”That is my business.”

”I'll make it mine. And I'll settle yours very shortly, once and for all. I suppose you're soft on the girl yourself,” he sneered. ”Think yourself a hero! Do you think she'd look at you, a beggarly news-monger?

Why, she--”

”You can leave her out of it,” said Rainey, quietly. ”As for you, I think you're a dirty blackguard.”

Carlsen's hand shot back to his hip pocket as Rainey's fist flashed through the opening and caught him high on the jaw, sending him staggering back, cras.h.i.+ng against the part.i.tion and down into the cus.h.i.+oned seat that ran around the place.

But his gun was out. As he raised it Rainey grappled with him. Carlsen pulled trigger, and the bullet smashed through the skylight above them, while Rainey forced up his arm, twisting it fiercely with both hands until the gun fell on the seat.

Simultaneously the girl and Lund appeared.

”Gun-play?” rumbled the giant. ”That'll be you, Carlsen! You're too fond of shooting off that gat of yores.”

Rainey had stepped back at the girl's exclamation. Carlsen recovered his gun and put it away, while Peggy Simms advanced with blazing eyes.

”You coward!” she said. ”If I had thought--oh!”

She made a gesture of utter loathing, at which Carlsen sneered.

”I'll show you whether I'm a coward or not, my lady,” he said, ”before I get through with all of you. And I'll tell you one thing: The captain's life is in my hands. And he and I are the only navigators aboard this vessel, except a fool of a blind man,” he added, as he strode to the door of Simms' cabin, turned to look at them, laughed deliberately in their faces, and shut the door on them.

CHAPTER VII

RAINEY MAKES DECISION

”Well?” asked Lund, ”what are you goin' to do about it, Rainey? Stick with me, or line up with the rest of 'em, work yore pa.s.sage, an' thank 'em for nothing when they divvy the stuff an' leave you out? You've got to decide one way or the other d.a.m.n' quick, for the show-down's on the program for ter-morrer.”

”You haven't said outright what you are going to do yourself,” replied Rainey. ”As for me, I seem to be between the devil and the deep sea.

Carlsen has got some plan to outwit the men. It's inconceivable that he'll be willing to give them equal shares. And he has no use for me.”

”You ought to have grabbed that gun of his before he did,” said Lund.

”He'll put you out of the way if he can, but, now his temper's b'iled over a bit, he'll not shoot you. 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 if he'd butchered you he'd likely lose his grip on 'em. I think he would. I don't believe yo're in enny danger, Rainey, if you want to buckle in an'

line up with the crowd.

”As for me,” he went on, his voice deepening, ”I'm goin' to tell 'em to go plumb to h.e.l.l. I'll tell Carlsen a few things first. Equal shares! A fine bunch of socialists they are! 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 Const.i.tution an' by-laws of this country of ours. Granted. But they don't stay that way long.

They're all lined up to toe the mark on the start, but watch 'em straggle afore they've run a tenth of the distance.

”I found this gold, an' they didn't. I don't have to divvy with 'em, an' I won't. A lot of I. W. W.'s, that's what they are, an' I'll tell 'em so. More'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 up. Man to man, I c'ud break enny of 'em in half. Put me in a room with enny three of 'em, an' the door locked, an' one 'ud come out. That 'ud be me.”