He looked significantly at his companions, who rose and left the house by the starboard door. 163
“They can’t keep away from him, can they?” said Flint, cynically. “Slue-Foot has the come-hither, sure enough. I had an idea she’d be hiking this way the first chance she got.”
“You haven’t the right dope this trip,” replied Cleve. “The contract reads: Hands off women and booze.”
“Psalm-singing pirates! We’ll be having prayers Sunday. But that woman is my style.”
“Better begin digging up a prayer if you’ve got that bug in your head. If you make any fool play in that direction Cunningham will break you. I saw you last night staring through the transom. Watch your step, Flint. I’m telling you.”
“But if she should happen to take a fancy to me, who shall say no?”
“Hate yourself, eh? There was liquor on your breath last night. Did you bring some aboard?”
“What’s that to you?”
“It’s a whole lot to me, my bucko—to me and to the rest of the boys. Cleigh will not prosecute us for piracy if we play a decent game until we raise the Catwick. On old Van Dorn’s tub we can drink and sing if we want to. If Cunningham gets a whiff of your breath, when you’ve had it, you’ll get yours. Most of the boys have never done anything worse than apple stealing. It was the adventure. All keyed up for war and no place to 164 go, and this was a kind of safety valve. Already half of them are beginning to knock in the knees. Game, understand, but now worried about the future.”
“A peg or two before turning in won’t hurt anybody. I’m not touching it in the daytime.”