"Has your wife brought her children with her?" asked Smart.
"Oh, no, cap, she always leaves dem with her ma when she starts off on de rampage——"
"I see; you're afraid of her," said Smart, smiling.
"Not eggzactly dat, cap; not eggzactly—I ain't afeared ob nothin'; no, sah, dat I ain't, but she shuah do make me nervous; she shuah do make me feel—well, I jest don't know how, but it'll be best fo' you—fo' you, cap—if we start fo' Noo York before she gits here. Yo' understand?"
Captain Smart thought a moment. He had heard of Bahama Bill's wife, the well but not favourably known "Fighting Jule," of Key West. On the whole, it was worth considering. They might make the run in five or six days. It had been done before, but not often. The Sea-Horse was an able sloop, but that was testing her too much. The great six-masters had made the run to Havana in five days, two hundred miles farther on, but they seldom did it in ten. It was a great risk; a risk which might end up in the loss of the entire consignment, for they might not be able to get another chance for a sale.
On the other hand, there was Key West, the New York steamer, which would be due the next morning, and she would take the freight at proper prices, and be sure to land it in town—she couldn't help it, making the run North in three days to a certainty. The Key West run seemed to be the best one, but there were certain other considerations which had to be thought of.
"How about Key West?" asked Smart. "Do you think we could run in after that fracas at Journegan's bar? Won't the police want us pretty bad if they think they can shake us down for a thousand dollars?"
"I shuah think dey will dat," assented the mate, "if dey think we got anything. Dey certainly trim de folks right smart down dere. I reckon you're right, 'tain't no place fo' us wid a cargo of ca'tridges. I reckon you're wise; I reckon we'd better be gittin' farther No'th."
"There's the New York ship from Jacksonville—how's that?" asked Smart. "We can make that run in two days with a good wind——"