"'The grab-all snake!' says Ed. 'And what you goin' to do, Alec?'
"'My name is Bill,' I answers; 'Bill Whitely if there's anybody likely to be in hearing. But I tell you, Ed,' I says, 'I don't like the notion o' little Johnnie Sing and his wife getting caught—or separated.'
"We were looking over the side then, where to the boom was tied a string of small boats, our big quarter-boat to the end.
"'What do you know about this fellow Durks, Ed?' I said, after a time.
"'Nothing,' he said, 'except that he's under suspicion of smuggling opium for a long time. They say he's money-mad and woman-mad, and always was.'
"'So I've heard. And what's his game here with me?'
"'It's going around the ship that you ran away with his schooner and smuggled a Chink aboard unbeknownst, but that he's going to forgive you if you hand over the Chinaman and so put him right with the Gover'ment. He didn't say anything about any woman.'
"'He's one fine gentleman,' I says. And, by 'n' by: 'Suppose you saw somebody was trying to slip the Hattie—the Pioneer—out by you in the dark, what would happen?'
"'Happen?' says Ed. 'A lot o' things. And quick. It'd be up with a lot of three-inch ammunition, and some high-rating gun pointer, who's as likely to be me as anybody else, would probably have to use you for a little target practice.'
"'And you c'n lay 'em pretty close aboard, can't you, Ed—strings o' bull's-eyes at six and eight and ten thousand yards—hah?'