say. You can't blame us pore sailormen. It was this here fool

dude and that scoundrel Theriere that put us up to it. They

told us that you an' Skipper Simms was a-fixin' to double-cross

us all an' leave us here to starve on this Gawd-forsaken

islan'. Theriere said that he was with you when you planned

it. That you wanted to git rid o' as many of us as you could

so that you'd have more of the ransom to divide. So all we

done was in self-defense, as it were.

"Why not let bygones be bygones, an' all of us join forces

ag'in' these murderin' heathen? There won't be any too many

of us at best--Red an' Wison seen more'n two thousan' of

the man-eatin' devils. They're a-creepin' up on us from behin'

right this minute, an' you can lay to that; an' the chances are

that they got some special kind o' route into that there cove,

an' maybe they're a-watchin' of you right now!"

Ward turned an apprehensive glance to either side. There

was logic in Bony's proposal. They couldn't spare a man now.

Later he could punish the offenders at his leisure--when he

didn't need them any further.

"Will you swear on the Book to do your duty by Skipper

Simms an' me if we take you back?" asked Ward.

"You bet," answered Bony Sawyer.

The others nodded their heads, and Divine sprang up and

started down toward Ward.

"Hol' on you!" commanded the mate. "This here arrangement

don' include you--it's jes' between Skipper Simms an'

his sailors. You're a rank outsider, an' you butts in an' starts

a mutiny. Ef you come back you gotta stand trial fer that--see?"

"You better duck, mister," advised Red Sanders; "they'll

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