The Cairo bulletin., 1904-04-02


1--WE could fight them so much more to
advantage from the deck Of the schoon-
I or Why not wait for them aboard?
We could have our sails up anyhow,
ana we could keep the boachcombcrs
or till the tide rose high enough to
drive them back. Why not do that"
II tink hes wait topslde boat" as
sentcd Charlie.
Eyes; why not, Moran"
1 Because shouted the girl, they've
got our loot. don't propose to be
plundered Of S150,o00 if can help it,"
"WaSsa datT demanded Charlie.
Thunder fiftee thousand you hab gotY
Il did have tive had it, the mate
and l. We triced a sperm whale for
the beachcombers, and when they
thought they had everything out Of him
we found a lump of ambergris in him
that will weigh close to 200 pounds.
Now look here, Charlie. The beach
combers have got the stuff. Its mine;
/ I'm going to have it back Here's the
/ lay; Your men can fight you can fight
yourself Wen make it a business
proposition Help me to get that am
bergris, and If we get 1t Ill give each
one of the men $1,000 and I'll give You
$3.50. You can take that up and be
independent rich the rest of your life.
You can chuck it and rot on this beach;
for it's fight or lose the schooner. You
know that as we'll as / do. If you've
got to fight anyhow, why not fight
where it's going to pay the most"
Charlie hesitated, pursuing his lips.
How about this, MoranE' Wilbur
broke forth now, unheard by Charlie.
I've just been thinking. Have we got
a right to this ambergris after all? The
bcachcombers found the whale. 1t was
theirs. How have we the right to take
the ambergris away from them any
more than the sperm and the oil and
the bone? It's theirs, if you come TO
that. don't know as we've the right
to it,
"Darn you" shouted Moran in blaze
of fury. Fright to it; right 70 i'll If
/ haven't, who has? Who found it2
Those dirty monkeys might have stood
some show to a claim If they'd held to
the one-thrd bargain and offered to
divvy with us when they got me where
| couldn't help myself | don't say Ia
give in now ii they had-give in to let
cm walk off with a hundred thousand
dollars that I've got rs good a claim to
as they have. But they've saved me
the trouble of arguing the question.
/ They've taken it all-all-and there's
no bargain in the game at all now.
/ Now, the stuff belongs to the strongest
Of us, and I'm glad CT it. They
thought they were the strongest and
now they're going to find out. We're
dumped down here on this God for
! saken sand, and there's no law and 10
/ policemen, The strongest Of us are
| going TO live ana the weakest are go
/ ing to die. I'm going to live, and I'm
1 going to have my loot, too, ana I'm not
going to split fine hairs With these
robbers at this time of days I'm going
| to have it all, and that's The law you're
under in this case, my righteous
| fricndw
She turned her back upon him. spin,
/ ming around upon her heel and Wilbur
/ felt ashamed of himself and proud Of
! her.
II 90 talkce-talll to China boy said
/ Charlie, coming up.
For about five minutes the Cinnamon
conferred together, sQuatting in cir
Gle on the beach Moran paced up and
down by the stranded dory. Wilbur
leaned against the bleachcd whale
skull, his hands in bis pockets.
"All light said Charlie, coming out
/ from the group at last Him fight
/ plenty"
Now exclaimed Moran, "we'ye no
/ time to waste! What arms have we
got?'
We've the cutting-in spades" said
| Wilbur There are fiyeof them. They're
nearly ten feet long, and the blades are
rs sharp as razors. You couldn't want
/ better pixies
"That's an idea" returned Moran,
evidently willing to forget her out
I burst of a moment before, perhaps al
/ ready sorry for it, The party took stock
Of their weapons, and five huge cutting
/ in spades, a heavy knife from the gal.
+ ley and revolver of doubtful cffec.
tiyencss were divided among them
/ The crew took the spades, Charlie the
knife and Wilbur the revolver. Moran
/ had her own knife, a haftlcss dirk,
/ such rs is affected by all NorWegians,
whether landsmen or sailors. They
were examining this armament and
I Moran was suggesting a plan Of at
tack when IIoang. the leader Of the
beachc0mbers, and one other China
man appeared some little distance be-
low them on the beach. The moon was
low, and there was no great light, but
the two beachcombers caught the flash
Of the points of the spades. They halt
ed and glanced narrowly and suspi-
ciously at the group.
"Beastsw muttercd Moran. "Thcy
are up to the game There's no sur
! prising them now. Talk to him.
Charlie. See what he wants"
Moran Wilbur and Charlie came
part of the way toward I1olng ana his
fellow and paused some fifteen feet
distant aud a ianu cntfaory- npc,taI