“Now what is it that you propose, Master Bo’s’n?� I began, sitting down at the cabin table, while the rest ranged themselves about it, some standing, some sitting on the transoms at the sides, as Pimball came lumbering down into the cabin.
For a second he was nearer death than ever before in his life, or ever after but once, as you shall see, but prudence as before held my itching hand.
“We know,� began Pimball insolently without further preliminaries, “that this ship’s cruisin’ for treasure. We know all we’ll git out of the cruise is what we signed for an’ nothin’ more. We’ve made a good guess that the island lays hereabouts, an’ we mean to have more’n our wage. We’re goin’ to have our share of whatever’s found that we’re after.�
“So you shall,� I said, “I’m with you in that. I want something more than my wages, too.�
“What’s this woman, anyway?� broke out another. “Why should she git it all? She’s a mere girl.�
“You have said right, mate, who and why indeed?� I answered smoothly, marking him down for my vengeance when my turn came. “Now what are your plans?�
“We want that ’ere map or chart that you’ve been seed readin’ in your cabin,� said Pimball.
Now it happened that I was the keeper of that parchment and of the little stone god. She had appointed me their custodian. No one had sought to steal them, but I kept the chart ever on my person, and the idol in a locked drawer in my berth. I didn’t know as to the value of the chart; it might be immensely worth while, it might not. At any rate, it was in a little bag around my neck. I reached down, pulled out the bag, took the torn parchment from it, and threw the two halves on the table. There was not the least use in my pretending ignorance or in refusing to give it up. They could kill me and take it anyway.
“There,� said I coolly, “you have it.�
Pimball picked it up and looked at it searchingly, matching the halves and scrutinizing it dubiously.