"'And smooth water?'
"'Aye, with the wind drawin' more off shore. That easterly kicked up a bit of a lop, but it's gone now.'
"'Well, we're loaded and ready,' said Pierre, 'and waiting on the weather. If it's in our favour you can expect us at eleven to-morrow night. Have all the shore hands ready. There's a heavy night's work in front of us. I'm going to run two or three bumper cargoes and then lay off a bit, to give the Revenue snifters time to get tired of laying for us. Once we have the stuff cached there's nothing to worry about. For although you trapped that Nosy Parker on the Spaleen road there's not a chance in a thousand of anybody ever happening on the place.'
"'Aye, that's so, cap'n. Sure, it was made for the business. The fools could pass us by sea and land and never know we was there.'
"'Now look here, Bagley, there's one thing I'm not easy about. Are you sure the shore gang is on the square?'
"'As sure as you're sittin' there, cap'n.'
"'Then how came there to be six cases missing in the last accounting?'
"'Sure, there's always a few breakages, and you knows yourself how many a bottle goes to wet a customer's whistle at the time of selling him the stuff.'
"'Admitted,' said Pierre, 'but let there be less breakages in future. Understand me, Bagley?'
"'Aye, I'll see to it, cap'n.'