"You do not know what you are saying!"
But I had angered her, and she went on cruelly:-"Who are you, anyhow? You are not a sailor. You came here and were
taken on because you told a hard-luck story. How do we know that
you came from a hospital? Men just out of prison look as you did.
Do you know what we called you, the first two days out? We called
you Elsa's jail-bird And now, because you have dominated the crew,
we are in your hands!"
"Do Mrs. Turner and Miss Lee think that?"
"They feel as I do. This is a picked crew men the Turner line has
employed for years."
"You are very brave, Mrs. Johns," I said. "If I were what you think
I am, I would be a dangerous enemy."
"I am not afraid of you."
I thought fast. She was right. It had not occurred to me before,
but it swept over me overwhelmingly.
"You are leaving me only one thing to do," I said. "I shall
surrender myself to the men at once." I took out my revolver and
held it out to her. "This rope is a dead-line. The crew know, and
you will have no trouble; but you must stand guard here until some
one else is sent."
She took the revolver without a word, and, somewhat dazed by this
new turn of events, I went aft. The men were gathered there, and I
surrendered myself. They listened in silence while I told them the
situation. Burns, who had been trying to sleep, sat up and stared
at me incredulously.
"It will leave you pretty short-handed, boys," I finished, "but
you'd better fasten me up somewhere. But I want to be sure of one
thing first: whatever happens, keep the guard for the women."
"We'd like to talk it over, Leslie," Burns said, after a word with
the others.
I went forward a few feet, taking care to remain where they could
see me, and very soon they called me. There had been a dispute, I
believe. Adams and McNamara stood off from the others, their faces
not unfriendly, but clearly differing from the decision. Charlie
Jones, who, by reason of long service and a sort of pious control he
had in the forecastle, was generally spokesman for the crew, took a
step or two toward me.
"We'll not do it, boy," he said. "We think we know a man when we
see one, as well as having occasion to know that you're white all
through. And we're not inclined to set the talk of women against
what we think best to do. So you stick to your job, and we're
back of you."
In spite of myself, I choked up. I tried to tell them what their
loyalty meant to me; but I could only hold out my hand, and, one by
one, they came up and shook it solemnly.