A murmur of assent answered him.
"Ah," struck in Silver, "but there's a first time always, mates. Murray's like the rest o' us. A ball or a cutlass-edge will finish him. And I say again, who wouldn't risk death for more'n a million and a half o' pounds in good gold and hard silver as'll buy every man jack o' us such pleasures as few men ever comes by, mates?"
"But there's only as much aboard the James as we ha' here," objected one of the first speakers.
"True for you, Tom Allardyce," said Flint. "But the rest's safe enough, ain't it?"
"There's only them few knows o' it," returned the man. "They said on the James there was but the three men and the girl was landed to bury it."
Flint's answering laugh was horrible.
"And d'ye think that out o' four people, not countin' Murray—and one o' the four a girl—we can't make one talk? I tell ye, Tom, the stuff is as good as divided."
"Ye ha' first to catch Murray," retorted Allardyce.
"And why won't we?" demanded Silver. "Didn't we take what he was ready to give us and thank him for it like blessed lambs? And if he does suspect, what good'll it do him? On a night like this he'll never know where we are until we're on him. Two good broadsides, and then we'll sweep his decks."
Nobody spoke for a time.