“Ay, ay; tell it. Jack Striker’s ears are allus open to ’ear ’ow he can better his sittivation in life. I’m a listener.”
“All right. I’ve observed you’re a good hand at the helm. Would ye be as good to go in for a job that’ll put a pile o’ money in your pocket?”
“That depends. Not on what sort o’ job; I don’t mean that. But what’s the figger—the ’mount o’ the money—how much?”
“Puttin’ it in gold, as much as you can carry; ay, enough to make you stagger under it.”
“An’ you ask if I’m good for a job like that? Funny question to ask—it are; ’specially puttin’ it to ole Jack Striker. He’s good for’t—wi’ the gallows starin’ him full in the face. Danged if he an’t!”
“Well; I thought you wouldn’t be the one to show basket-faced ’bout it. It’s a big thing I hev on hand, an’ there’ll be a fortin’ for all who go in for it.”
“Show Jack Striker the chance o’ goin’ in, an’ he’ll show you a man as knows no backin’ out.”
“Enough, shipmate. The chance is close to hand; aboard o’ this ship. Below, in her cabin-lockers, there’s stowed somethin’ like half a ton o’ glitterin’ gold-dust. It belongs to the old Spaniard that’s passenger. What’s to hinder us to lay hands on it? If we can only get enough o’ the crew to say yes, there needs be no difficulty. Them as won’t ’ll have to stan’ aside. Though, from what I see o’ them, it’s like they’ll all come in. Divided square round, there’d be atween twenty an’ thirty thousand dollars apiece. Do that tempt ye. Striker?”
“Rayther. Wi’ thirty thousand dollars I’d ne’er do another stroke o’ work.”
“You needn’t then. You can have all o’ that, by joinin’ in, an’ helpin’ me to bring round the rest. Do you know any o’ them ye could speak to ’bout the bizness—wi’ safety, I mean?”