Part 25 (1/2)

The others laughed.

”What he like?” asked the n.i.g.g.e.r gravely.

”He's a fine voodoo, with wavery arms and green eyes, and red glows.”

Watching narrowly its effect he swung off into one of the genuine old crooning voodoo songs, once so common down South, now so rarely heard.

No one knows what the words mean--they are generally held to be charm-words only--a magic gibberish. But the n.i.g.g.e.r sprang across the fire like lightning, his face altered by terror, to seize Darrow by the shoulders.

”Doan you! Doan you!” he gasped, shaking the a.s.sistant violently back and forth. ”Dat he King Voodoo song! Dat call him all de voodoo--all!”

He stared wildly about in the darkness as though expecting to see the night thronged. There was a moment of confusion. Eager for any chance I hissed under my breath; ”Danger! Look out!”

I could not tell whether or not Darrow heard me. He left soon after.

The mention of the chest had focussed the men's interest.

”Well,” Pulz began, ”we've been here on this spot o' h.e.l.l for a long time.”

”A year and five months,” reckoned Thrackles.

”A man can do a lot in that time.”

”If he's busy.”

”They've been busy.”

”Yes.”

”Wonder what they've done?”

There was no answer to this, and the sea lawyer took a new tack.

”I suppose we're all getting double wages.”

”That's so.”

”And that's say four hunder' for us and Mr. Eagen here. I suppose the Old Man don't let the schooner go for nothing.”

”Two hundred and fifty a month,” said I, and then would have had the words back.

They cried out in prolonged astonishment.

”Seventeen months,” pursued the logician after a few moments. He scratched with a stub of lead. ”That makes over eleven thousand dollars since we've been out. How much do you suppose his outfit stands him?” he appealed to me.

”I'm sure I can't tell you,” I replied shortly.

”Well, it's a pile of money, anyway.”

n.o.body said anything for some time.

”Wonder what they've done?” Pulz asked again.