"I'll get her on board all right," answered the captain, keeping his eyes away from the girl with an effort. "You play up, that's all."
"'Jer think you're a match for that weasel in a woman's skin—you or any of us?"
"I do, then. Forty's a match for twenty any day in the year, if the heads of them comes anything near equal. Cunnin' as Old Nick she is, but I've been cunnin' twenty years longer than her."
"You pitched her a good yarn, I'll lay."
"I did that—about the derelick we boarded nor'-east of the Paumotus, and the Spanish ladies' clothes and cases of goods that was lying about, and how we took what there was, includin' of a di'mond necklashe that was sittin' all its lone on the table in the old man's cabin (Be minding me, now, or you'll be making mistakes), and the way a gale riz on us before we was through, and hurried us back to the Ikurangi, so that we lost the derelick, and didn't see no more of her; and how we heard in Noumea afterwards that there was like to be joolery on boord her, so that we're all on to go and find her again."
"Straight fact up to finding the di'monds, and gory lyin' after that, I see. But how d'ye make out the people that deserted the ship was such fat-headed idiots as to leave the joolery?"
"Why, they was fat-headed idiots right enough; they did leave a good lot of saleable stuff, as you and I knows; and it's only addin' on a bit to say that the ship had been on fire and made them clear for their lives, so that they didn't think of the valuables. There's the necklashe I have for proof. And, mind me now, what we heard was that the people of the ship knows now that she didn't go down, and will be out after her themselves when they can raise the cash, so that hurry's the word."
"How much of that's true?"
"Not a —— bit. The people was drowned, I allow. But it hangs well, and don't you go and forget none of it. I pitched the yarn that way because of that bit of pashtry joolery I got hould of in mistake for goods down Melbourne way.... I misremember if I tould you."
"You did, more nor once, and you was jolly well served right by her," candidly replied the mate. "The yarn's all right, I suppose, and the paste necklace is good business; but where does this Vaiti come in?"