CHAPTER XVIII
BIG STAKES IN A BIG GAME
"I'd look a fine fish letting of him go now, after what's passed betweenus!" laughed Buckrow. "Ye mind what he'd do the minute he got his pawsfree. Reddy, if ye don't shut yer trap I'll drill ye, that's what."
"No arms for me," suggested Thirkle. "I bear no arms; and both of ye havethe bilge on me with all the knives and pistols in yer own hands."
"That's all very fine for ye to say now, Thirkle; but what of when ye getin reach of a gun or a knife? What then?"
"I'll bear ye no grudge," said Thirkle. "Never a word will I say, Bucky.That's done and gone, and we all have our little quarrels. Never a handwill I turn against ye, Bucky, and Petrak here to witness what I say."
"No grudge ag'in' me for what I done?" demanded Buckrow doubtfully. "Yemean ye'll let this go and never a word ag'in' me, Thirkle?"
"Never a word. We'll slip all that and turn to at getting this gold away.What's a little mistake against all this here? Going to let a bit of arow stand between us and good times? I say no. Give me a chance to get yeall off here with the gold and I won't likely forget it if ye let me go,Bucky. I'm not the man to hold a small mistake of judgment against a matelike you, what's fought and worked with me so long, and ye was alwaysready, Bucky, when there was a hard job ahead.
"Nearly two years we've been together, mate, and it would be a pity if wesmashed things now, when we've got a ship-load of gold. It's time wequit and took our comfort, and no more chances of getting a rope at theend of it. We've about played the game out, and we'd better not play agood thing too far or we'll find ourselves catching a crab one of thesefine days. I said we'd stop if we made it safe with the _Kut Sang_, andwe have and now that we've got plenty ahead, with eating and drinking anda good bed the rest of our days, let's square away for home.
"We'll start fair and square again, mates, as we did when we first putour heads together for this fortune, and no grudges and all equal now, asthe worst of the work is over and the next is to get away with it, easyenough if ye let me pilot the job. In a month we'll be in London, and yeand Reddy, with a pub all yer own, and living at ease like gentlemen."
"All equal from this on, Thirkle? Each has his say, and one as good asthe other?"
"Nothing without a council and two votes to decide, so ye two'll be yerown masters, having the two votes against me, with my advice for help.There's fifty thousand pounds for each of us, and we'll separate inLondon and go our own ways if ye like. I'll swear a black oath to that,and my word's good, as ye both know.
"Did I ever break it to ye? Didn't I always cut the loot as I agreed? I'mThirkle, and when I say a thing I mean it. Now, Bucky, think it overbefore it's too late. Will ye go it alone, or will ye give me a fair playat the game, and come out with yer life and a fair share of the gold?It's for you to decide, and see ye don't make a mistake."
"No arms for ye, split three ways, and do as we please when we're awayclear with the gold?" asked Buckrow.
"That's it, Bucky. That's what I said and what I say, and I'll stick toit."
"Swear to it, and nothing in yer mind."
"I swear to it and nothing in my mind. It's a square enough thing, and Inever laid to do for ye as ye think. It was all a mistake, Bucky."
Buckrow began to whisper with Petrak again, and Thirkle held his hands upand called to them sharply: "Here! Cut this rope!"
Petrak started for Thirkle with a sheath-knife, but Buckrow pulled himback.
"I'll let him go," he said. "This is my job, Thirkle," continued Buckrow,approaching his prisoner. "I'm atween two minds with ye, and one is toslit yer neck, as I won't deny; but ye're a sharp cuss, and I guess yecan do this work better than I can. But I want to say to ye now, if everye turn on me after this ye're a dog.
"I'll take my chance with ye, but ye bear me no love, and I know it; andever ye reach for a knife or a gun, mind that I don't see ye. It'splay fair from now on, but show a claw and yer done for if I can do it."
He stooped down and slipped the blade of his knife through the bonds hehad put upon Thirkle, and then stepped away from him, with the knifeheld in guard, as if he expected the pirate to leap at him once he hadhis hands free.
But Thirkle sat still for a few minutes, rubbing his wrists, and thencalled for the bottle. Petrak handed it to him, and he sipped the brandyand bathed his wounded head with it, sending Reddy to a pool of water atthe base of the cliff to wet his handkerchief, and then bound it aroundhis head.
"It looks bad, but it didn't hurt much, Bucky," he said, smiling. "Whathurt me more was to have ye turn on me the way ye did; but that's allpassed and gone, and we won't mention it again."
"Mind ye, don't," growled Buckrow, who was still in an angry mood andperhaps thought he had made a mistake in giving Thirkle freedom again.
"Oh, limber up a bit, Bucky," said Thirkle. "What's the use of us allgoing to Kingdom Come over a little fight, when we've had so muchfighting to get this? The gold turned all our heads, no doubt, but wecan't be fools through it. The stuff's no good here--the job's not doneyet, but I'll get ye all clear now if ye mind me and keep sober in port.Shake, old mate, and let's be friends again."
He held out his hand to Buckrow, who took it, but awkwardly. I could seethat he feared Thirkle, even unarmed, and knew him for his master.
"I'm cussed sorry, Thirkle, for what I done; but I felt ye wanted to dofor me, and I couldn't stand for that," he said, with his eyes on theground.
"All square now, Bucky, and never a word. Ye always did yer work well,and never a slip."
"And didn't I do the same, Thirkle? Didn't I stand by?" asked Petrak,surveying his chief with an expression of surprise that he had beenoverlooked in commendation, much as a dog would seek petting.
"You, too," assented Thirkle, beaming on the little red-headed man."Never was a better man when there was to be a knife used quick and neat;I'll say that for ye. Now, I want to take a little rest for a fewminutes, and if I was to have a word to say I'd suggest that you two getthe sacks stowed in the hole there. I want a little confab with Mr.Trenholm here, and I'll give a hand presently. If ye think it's fair,I'll rest a bit; but we ought to get that stuff snug away, and there's notime to be lost."
Buckrow took away the belt and pistols, which had been unfastened from meafter my capture, and he and Petrak set to work carrying the sacks ofgold into the cleft in the cliff.
"It looked bad for me a while back, Mr. Trenholm," said Thirkle, sittingbeside me and offering a cigar, which I took. "I wasn't quite sure that Icould get myself out of that tangle."
"You had a pretty good argument," I commented, lighting the cigar,although my head throbbed so painfully that I knew I would not enjoy thesmoke. "I'm afraid I won't be able to have any plan to help you get awaywith the gold and so earn my own life."
"My dear Mr. Trenholm, I'm sorry you didn't go down in the _Kut Sang_.Really I am, for you know I took quite a fancy to you in Manila. Youare of such an unsuspicious nature."
"Oh, I had my suspicions well enough, but they were on the wrong track;in fact, I could not have done you justice--my imagination is not equalto it. The best I could do for you was to mistake you for a spy--aninadequate estimate, after what I have seen and heard of you."
"You flatter me, my dear Mr. Trenholm. But it is entirely your own faultthat you are where you are. I tried to warn you, but you couldn't expectme to tell you my plans regarding the _Kut Sang_. I didn't want you inher, and I did my best to keep you out. Really remarkable, in a way."
"What do you mean?"
"That you should happen to be a passenger--such an insistentpassenger--and as if you knew nothing about what was going in the ship.Really, you and Trego did well."
"I think Trego made rather a mess of it," I said. "If I had been in hisboots I would have told the captain what it was all about."
"Why didn't you tell him? You could have told him about the gold as wellas Mr. Trego."
"Indeed! Then, you believe I knew about the _Kut Sang's_ cargo."
"I don't believe it, my dear Mr. Trenholm. I never accept a theory as afact. There was a time when I thought your connection with the affairended when you brought the orders from Saigon, but your persistence inpretending to buy a ticket in the _Kut Sang_ rather puzzled me for atime, and then I was afraid that you suspected me, and that I had gonetoo far in trying to keep you out of the vessel."
"You are talking enigmas now."
"But what surprised me most," he resumed, disregarding my remark, "wasthat I purchased a ticket in the _Kut Sang_ at all. I looked for a trapthere, and if the game hadn't been so big I might have quit at the lastminute."
"I am sure I don't know what you are talking about."
"My dear Mr. Trenholm! Really, your attitude offends me. I cannot seewhat you expect to gain by pretending you knew nothing about thegold in the _Kut Sang_. That is absurd. You brought the order for it fromSaigon, and helped get the thing fixed, and yet you pretend that it isall a mystery to you. When I am willing to be so frank I cannot see whyyou should assume this manner."
"Then, I knew all about the gold from the first, did I?"
"Certainly. What do you think Mr. Petrak and I kept so close at yourheels for in Manila?"
"Well, it did rather puzzle me for a while. Everywhere I turned you orthe little red-headed rascal seemed to be near."
"And never seemed to remember having seen us in Saigon?"
"In Saigon? Were you in Saigon when I was there?"
"Left before you did, when we knew you had the order for the gold fromCommander Kousmitch."
"Never met the gentleman."
"Of course not. He got the cable-operator to have you deliver the orderin Manila for him. But I heard him and the cable-operator talk it over,and that was all I wanted, and left. So you didn't see us in Saigon? Itold Petrak you didn't, but he thought you did. That's one reason we gotso bold in Manila."
"But the cable-operator told me the message didn't amount to much, andthat he would send duplicates by mail, anyway."
"Of course he did. It didn't amount to much, except to give a code orderabout shipping this gold. And you dropped it in the bus, and I pickedit up, and you were rather rude to me, which proved that you either hadno suspicions about me, or knew it all and wanted to throw me off myguard. I believe you were actually laughing at me the last few hours inManila. I couldn't understand, unless you had things rigged to trip methe minute we sailed.
"I was looking for it at dinner the minute we cast off; and what ascrimmage there would have been at that table if you had drawn one ofthose pistols! Why, Petrak and Buckrow and Long Jim were in the passagewith pistols ready to come in, and I would have shot you first, and thenTrego, for I knew Captain Riggs had no arms on his person. If I made awaywith you and Trego the next would have been Rajah, for the lad could havegiven a nasty cut with that kris. And I had to keep a close eye on Mr.Trego's malacca cane."
"Oh, you did! I never suspected for a minute that you regarded Mr. Tregoas a dangerous character."
"He never told you?"
"Never told me anything. I was introduced to him in a most casual way inthe bank, and was surprised to find him a passenger in the _Kut Sang_"
"He never told you about his cane? Most beautiful rapier you ever saw init. Always had it by him, but he overlooked it when he got up from thetable in the saloon last evening. Undoubtedly he was going for a pistol,but we had to get him when the time offered; and, besides, he was gettingready to tell Riggs all about me and my crew. There wasn't a second tolose. I met him as he was coming back and held him for Petrak, and we didthe job quietly."
"It was something to be proud of," I remarked. "I never would have giventhe Rev. Luther Meeker credit for it."
"That's what made the character so valuable," he grinned, feeling thebandage about his head tenderly. I saw that he was weaker than he hadled us to believe, and that he was suffering from his wound.
"But you puzzled me when they found the body. I expected you to denounceme; but you foolishly kept in front of me, and I was ready to blow yourback out if you said a word, and we were all ready for the finest kind ofa fight, although I did not want to precipitate matters so soon. Really,you had me guessing for a time, and I couldn't understand your attitude,knowing what you did about me and the gold. Then I saw that you had plansof your own, and wanted it yourself."
"It is you who flatter me now," I told him, surprised at his revelations.
"But you did want it, although I couldn't see how you figured to take itaway from me, or why you didn't tell Captain Riggs what you knew."
"But I didn't know anything. I thought you were a spy, who mistook me forone, and I was letting you have your little joke out."
"You didn't know about the gold, or Trego, or me?" he demanded.
"I regret exceedingly that I didn't. If I had I would have blocked yourgame at the first opportunity. I suspected you were not a missionary,but I had never even heard of the Devil's Admiral."
"Most extraordinary."
"I agree with you."
"I mean that you didn't know about the gold, when I thought you did. Imust confess that I made a tremendous mistake there. Really, it camenear being a failure--it would have been if Captain Riggs had not beenled to suspect you. I advised him to put you in irons after you were sentto your room--it seemed to be the easiest way to get you out of thefight. I was really afraid of you, Mr. Trenholm."
"You seem to have gotten over it. This seems to be getting more of atangle all the time, and a sort of mutual-admiration society. I have noobjection to keeping up the conversation, but you pique my curiosity asto how it is all going to come out. As I have already remarked, I can'tsee any argument that would lead you to let me walk away from here unlessI tell you, as you told Petrak and Buckrow, that you'll hang."
"Now, tut, tut! You can't play my game. I thought you had moreoriginality than that. You know too much now, and it would be prematureto tell the story of the _Kut Sang_ for several years. I'm afraid thatI'll have to write my own memoirs, but for posthumous publication, ofcourse."
"I'm sure I would like to read them. You have turned murder into a fineart--you should have been a contemporary of the Borgias."
"Do you know, Mr. Trenholm, I have thought of something like that myself.I am quite proud of my success. I would like if my career could bewritten down by a good hand at such things; but of course that isimpossible, for no man ever knew the Devil's Admiral and lived. I regretto say that you will be no exception in that respect, Mr. Trenholm. I'msorry you didn't go down in the _Kut Sang_ and save me what is bound tobe a disagreeable job."
"In that case I would have missed the little drama between you and Mr.Buckrow. I rather enjoyed it. You seem to be an artist at other thingsbesides slaying men."
"I am glad you liked it, but Bucky is rather hard to handle at times.There will be another act or two, and I'll give you a chance to see theclimax."
"That's kind of you, although you upset dramatic conventions and I willfind it rather hard, I am afraid, to be a competent critic. Besides, Imight be prejudiced, having a personal interest in the outcome."
"That won't matter much," he smiled. "My critics are always short-lived.Bucky there came nearest to getting me, though. If it hadn't been forPetrak I never could have handled him. They can't bear the thought of arope. Whenever there was a hanging I took them to see it. Being a manof the cloth, I was admitted to all sorts of places, and, while I didn'ttravel openly with my men, I could mingle with them more or less in thecharacter of a missionary."
He looked up at Buckrow, who stood over us scowling suspiciously, and hishand was close to his pistol.
"What's wrong, Bucky?" purred Thirkle, moistening a cigar between hislips and giving Buckrow a searching glance.
"I don't like that place in there for the gold, Thirkle. It's too wet tosuit me."
"The dampness won't do any damage, Bucky. That's the best place on theisland, to my thinking; but, of course, if you don't like it we'llconsider it."
"The gold will rust in there," said Buckrow; and I knew he was in adangerous mood again.
"Gold don't rust, Bucky," called Petrak, standing in the crevice andgrinning at Thirkle.
"That's the best place on the island," said Thirkle soothingly. "This isthe ideal place. But if you don't like it in there, we won't put it inthere, and that's an end of it, Bucky."
"But it'll all rust up into great gobs if it's left any great while--Idon't like so much water drippin' over the place, Thirkle."
"Gold don't rust, Bucky," called Petrak, and he laughed immoderately andslapped his knees with his hands.
"But what better place is there, Bucky? It's getting late now, lads, andthat's the best place for it."
"Then I vote to stow it and pipe down with the gabbin' with the writin'chap," said Buckrow savagely. "It's time we got clear of here and tookto the boats by dark, Thirkle. I'm not for cruising over this blastedisland in the dark, and I don't fancy ye and the writin' chap gettin' sothick all of a sudden. If there's to be talk, we want to know what it'sabout, and I don't see no great gain in so much gossipin'."
"That's entirely my idea, Bucky. My vote is that we put it in the crackthere and slick up around here so nobody can know what's been afoot. ButI want a rest, and there are some things I want to say to Mr. Trenholmhere that will be of use to us. Clap on, lads, and I'll be there soon."
"That's my vote," assented Petrak, grinning at Thirkle. "No argumentthere, Bucky."
"Then, lay on again, ye fool," growled Buckrow, turning to the sacks oncemore. "Cuss ye, Reddy, yer goin' to side with Thirkle ag'in' me, I cansee that."
They picked up a sack and staggered into the canon with it, and Thirklegrinned at me, and lit his cigar again.
"See that, Mr. Trenholm? If I had let Bucky rule then I would have beenas good as dead. I had another chap in my crew like that. After he sawthe way I worked the game he wanted to kill me and take command himself.While he was making his plans to settle me the police got him for amurder he didn't do, and I trumped up the evidence against him, but neverappeared at the trial.
"When he was condemned I told him I'd get him out all right. I had turnedthe trick before, with saws in the binding of Bibles, for some of my menin prison, and he had absolute faith in me, as all my men have. I wentaway on a little expedition after pearls down Mindanao way, and got backthe day he was to hang. I visited him an hour before he was to swing, andtold him it was all right and he was to escape at the last minute.
"I walked up to the trap with him, and, while praying with the prisonchaplain, kept whispering it was all right, and he kept quiet until theyhad the cap over his head, and then he knew I had him. He tried to yellthat I was the Devil's Admiral---but it was too late then. I felt that Iwas justified---he would have killed me the next day. But it was a finejoke, to my mind, Mr. Trenholm."
"Ain't ye goin' to quit gammin' with that chap and give us a hand here?"demanded Buckrow. "Is that what ye call all bein' equal, Mr. Thirkle?If ye do, I don't."
He came toward us in a threatening manner, and Thirkle, seeing that hemust submit with good grace, got up and met him with a smile.
"By all means, Bucky, we are equal, but I didn't think ye'd begrudge me alittle time after what happened. How does the gold fit in there?"
"Wet as a junk. We put the first sack in the eyes of her, but it's nokid's play, and we ought to have help, Mr. Thirkle, if we get clear awayfrom this island to-night. We can't swear there won't be no moon, and,moon or no, we want to be out of the jungle and at the boats by sundown.And what's the game with the writin' chap here? I'm minded to have him doa bit of this work."
"Gold don't rust, do it, Thirkle?" asked Petrak. "I told Bucky gold don'trust but he don't like the water in there."
"Oh, dry up!" growled Buckrow. "What with yer talk we'll be at this joball night--"
"I vote--" began Petrak.
"To the devil with ye and yer votin'!" said Buckrow. "It's time we got towork, all hands, and so we will, and the writin' chap'll turn to and dohis bit, or I'll know why. If he ain't to do his part, or we don't makeno use of him, I say we'll up and do for him now and have it done with.Next ye know he'll make his getaway, and then a nice mess we'll be in."
"We don't intend to let Mr. Trenholm get away," said Thirkle. "I was justthinking, lads, that there are three of us, but counting Mr. Trenholm wemake four, and we can rattle him down so he can lift and carry, but notmuch else."
"Then, lash his flippers down and put a bight on his legs," said Buckrow;and he brought rope and began to fashion it into knots.
There was a minute when I was tempted to jump and run for it; but itwould have meant certain death, for the three of them stood over me, twoof them loaded down with pistols, and I would have had a poor chance ofgetting away.
There was a promise of delay in the work to be done; and, not knowingwhat had become of Captain Riggs, there was the bare possibility that hemight come upon the pirates' camp and attack them from ambush when he sawthat I was a captive.
If I made the slightest resistance to the hampering ropes they put on me,with the cunning knots known to seamen, I knew they would not hesitate tomake an end of me. So I stood up and allowed Buckrow to lash my wrists tomy knees in such a way that I was bent nearly double, but with my handssufficiently free to grasp a burden, and my feet hobbled for shortsteps.
We began the work of putting the sacks of gold into the hole in thecliff, and I set at the task with a prayer that before it was finishedand my life was of no further value to the pirates I might find anopportunity to escape.