"Will you take your turn aboard here and let me go ashore?"
"There ain't no sense in us wasting more time."
"I've done my trick here, Captain Candage, and it has been a good one.
I only ask you to take your trick, as a shipmate should. Keep a dozen of
the men here with you. There's plenty of grub. Stand off all comers till
I get back."
"What are you going to do?"
"Make a man's try, sir, before I let 'em dump us. We can always go
fishing. But there's only one Conomo."
"I'll stay. It's only fair to you to have your chance ashore. And I've
got an almighty good rifle aboard that schooner," stated the skipper.
"Send it to me by one of the men."
"You may need it," stated Captain Mayo, with grim set to his jaw. "You
come with me. I want to show you a bird that flew aboard here the other
day."
Outside the stateroom door he halted Captain Candage, who was following
on his heels, taking Mayo's statement literally, and showing only mild
interest.
"Captain Candage, your man, Art Simpson, is in this stateroom. He came
out here on a tug with a bag of dynamite, and intended to blow up this
wreck."
"Gawd-a-mighty, ain't they going to stop at anything?" croaked the old
skipper.
"It's about time for us to find out how much of this is reckless
devilishness on the part of hired men and how much the big men really
know of what is being done on this coast, sir. And that's why I'm
holding this man Simpson."
"Let me at him!" pleaded Candage. "I'll crack his shell for him! I'll
get at his meat!"
Mayo unlocked the door and walked in.
"Simpson, you--" bawled the old skipper, and then halted in confusion,
his mouth wide open.
"This ain't Art Simpson!" he declared, after amazed survey of the
glowering stranger. "Who be ye?"
"None of your infernal business! When you do know who I am you'll
discover that you have a tough proposition on your hands."
"We realize that already, without knowing your name," retorted Mayo.
"I'm not worrying; it's for you to do the worrying! I have given you
your warning! Now take what's coming to you from the men who are behind
me."
"What's your name--that's what I've asked you?" demanded Candage.
"None of your business--that's what I have told you."