"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."




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