“What would you advise our doing? You know, Jack, I’ll stand by you, whatever you go in for.”
“Well; I want it to be a fair divide, all round; detarmined it shell be. Why shud the four Spanish fellas get a dollar more’n us others? As I’ve obsarved, two of them, Gomez an’ Hernandez, have set theer eyes on the weemen folks. It’s eezy to see that’s part o’ theer game. Beside, I heerd them talkin’ o’t. Gomez be arter the light girl, an’ Hernandez the dark un. ’Bout that, they may do as they like for ought’s I care. But it’s all the more reezun why they oughtent be so greedy ’bout the shinin’ stuff. As for Mister Gomez, it’s plain he’s the head man o’ the lot; an’ the second mate, who engaged us, is only same’s the others, an’ ’pears to be controlled by him. ’Twar ’tween them two I overheerd the confab; Gomez sayin’ to Padilla that the dust lyin’ snug in the cabin-lockers was full valley for three hundred thousan’. An’ as theer’s eleven o’ us to share, that ’ud be nigh on thirty thousan’ apiece, if my ’rithmetic an’t out o’ recknin’. Bill Davis; I say, we oughter stan’ up for our rights.”
“Certainly we should. But there’ll be difficulty in getting them, I fear.”
“Not a bit—not a morsel, if we stick out for ’em. The four Spanyards means to go snacks ’mong themselves. But theer be seven o’ us outsiders; an’ when I tell the others what I’ve tolt you, they’ll be all on our side—if they an’t the foolishest o’ fools.”
“They won’t be that, I take it. A difference of twenty thousand dollars or so in their favour, will make them sensible enough. But what’s to be the upshot, or, as they call it in the theatre play-bills, what’s the programme!”
“Well, mate, so far as I’ve been put up to it, we’re to run on till we get to the coast, somewheer near the Issmus o’ Panyma. Theer we’ll sight land, and soon’s we do, the ship’s to be scuttled—we first securin’ the swag,’ an’ takin’ it ashore in one o’ the boats. We’re to land on some part o’ the coast that’s known to Gomez, he says. Then we’re to make for some town, when we’ve got things straight for puttin’ in appearance in a explainable way. Otherways, we might get pulled up, an’ all our trouble ’ud be for nowt. Worse, every man-Jack on us ’ud have a good chance to swing for it.”
“And the young ladies?”
“They’re to go along wi’ Gomez an’ Hernandez. How they mean to manage it, I can’t tell ye. They’ll be a trouble, no doubt, as allers is wi’ weemen, an’ it be a pity we’re hampered wi’ ’em; mor’n that, it’s reg’lar dangersome. They may get the hul kit o’ us into a scrape. Howsever, we’ll hev to take our chances, since theer’s no help for it. The two chaps ’pear to be reg’lar struck with ’em. Well, let ’em carry off the gurls an’ welcome. But, as I’ve sayed, thet oughter make ’em less objectin’ to a fair divide o’ the dust.”
“What’s to be done with the others—the old Spaniard and skipper, with the black cook and first mate?”
“They’re to go down wi’ the ship. The intenshun is, to knock all o’ ’em on the head, soon’s we come in sight o’ land.”