“Scouts, eh?” he cried. “Embreeo soldiers, eh? I heard of them this last trip out to the States. Wa’al, Mr. Peyton, I ain’t a goin’ to make no fervent speech of gratitood, for ye know how I feel, and I ain’t trimmed up to make a more substantial showin’ just now, but if you boys is a goin’ ‘in’ as we say, ye’ll hear from Swiftwater Jim before ye come out.”
“Tell us how it happened, Jim,” said Captain Huxley.
“Now, now, Captain, ye know me and ye know I can take care of me own troubles,” replied Jim.
“Look here, Jim,” said Captain Huxley, sternly. “You know I’m boss here, so long as you’re afloat, and anything of this kind demands investigation. Besides, I don’t propose to have a traveling feud on my manifest, all the way to Skagway. Out with it.”
“Wa’al, Captain,” said Swiftwater, “when I come aboard last night I found among the ruck in the steerage that gambler, Dublin, and a limpy pal of his. We got to playing poker, and the two of them cleaned me out, and because I found them using marked cards they came after me with them spikes. A young feller that was with them jumped on my back, and I went overboard. I’ll tend to ’em.”
“No, you won’t, Jim,” remarked Captain Huxley. “From this to Skagway you’ll bunk on my deck and keep away from here.”
Turning to a couple of the crew, the commander of the “Queen” said: “Bring that Dublin crowd here.” The men hurried away, and in a few minutes presented to the astonished eyes of the Scouts their old acquaintances and quasi-enemies, Dublin, Limpy Rae, and Monkey Rae. The latter favored the boys with a look of hatred and a muttered imprecation.
“We ain’t done nothin’”—began Dublin.
“That’ll do, Dublin,” replied Captain Huxley. “You know me of old, and I want to say I should have refused you passage if I had known you were going back to the Klondike. If you start another card game on this boat or get into any other trouble, I’ll put you in irons, and hand you over to the authorities when we reach port. I’m not sure that there are not several United States marshals in Alaska, yearning for a sight of you, now.”
Dublin turned white, attempted to speak, and then with his companions slunk back into the steerage.