The Argosy — page 94: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

286 ! THE ARGOSY. ‘‘ It’s a desperate enterprise, Captain Macshiel.”’ He grinned hideously, while the mate and the men began to show signs of impatience. Evidently they thought enough had been said. It was time to act. , The captain, advancing a step nearer, peered into my face. ‘Will you join us?” ‘‘ But this is piracy.’’ ‘’ Never mind what it is,’ said he. ‘‘ Will you join us?”’ ‘“ No, I will not.’’ ‘Then you understand that we have no room for traitors aboard ?”’ The faces of those before me grew black and threatening, and I really believed a rush was imminent. I covered Macshiel with my concealed pistol, and felt sure that I could put a bullet somewhere through his body. He saw the movement, and, guessing what it meant, stepped back, a livid twitch of terror shooting down his cadaverous jaws. And, truly, at that moment he was bound for the same port as the Chung Tong. An angry look swept into his eyes, and he said, with a horrid grin: ‘' What have you got your hands in your pockets for ?”’ “To keep them warm.”’ ‘Then up with them. I’m the master here.’’ ‘“ Captain Macshiel,’’ I said, ‘‘I have no quarrel with you—I have no wish to quarrel with you. I candidly admit that I am not a fighting man, nor has fighting ever come my way before; but, so help me God, I’ll do my best to injure the man who tries to injure me.”’ It was a bit of bounce, and yet not altogether bounce. I knew the men were desperate, and that they would not hesitate to sacrifice me if I endeav- ored to thwart them. ‘The alternative was therefore given me—and yet what an alternative! To join them, even against my will, would be to make me equally guilty in the eyes of the law. Not to join them meant that there was no room for me on board the Pulo Way. ‘Therefore the bounce was not all bounce; there was a deadly seriousness underlying it as befitted such an occasion, which I think Macshiel was quick to see. Or perhaps the knowl- edge that between him and a bullet there was only the lining of my coat may have quickened his perception. ‘“ Nobody wants to injure you,’’ said he, with a conciliatory grin. ‘“What the deuce do you take us for? Though driven desperate, we are not wholly without reason. We have cried for justice, but justice is deaf as well as blind. I don’t want to prate or preach; but I can tell you that we are just sick of things, and that now we mean to live—to live, by heaven, if it’s only for a month! ”’ So this was a new phase of Captain Macshiel’s character. But his sophis- tries fell on unsympathetic ears. ‘To live for a month is good. And after ?”’ He laughed harshly. ‘‘ To live still; for we intend to render detection impossible. It’s as good as five thousand pounds in your pocket. What do you say ?’’ : ““T have said.’’ ‘ tye EComicboo ‘S co