The spectator., 1922-02-10

'They do not intend to give 1t to you. You may have guessed this, but l am sure of it. I, too. am promised tend to give it to me. They will offer Mir. Lund only small portion of what was originally arranged, the same amount as the rest of them are to get. He will refuse that tomorrow, when meeting is to be called. Then there will be trouble. l shall stand with MT. Lund. If we win you will get your share, whether you help us or not. If you help us l can promise you at least twice the amount you were to get"
 How can l help you? If this is to be talked over at meeting l shall not be allowed to be present. do not think 1t will help you for me to join. l do not see how you can win. If you can show some way out 1 will do what l can. But l like to see way out"
 He modified the bald acknowledg- ment of his neutrality with a little bow and a hissing-in breath. Back of it all was a will that was inflexible, thought Rainey.
 If we lose, you lose" he went on lamely. He had come on fools er- rand, he decided.
 T think shall get my money" said Tamada. The Oriental gave swift smile, that held no mirth. no friend shin u a n of the situation, without rancor.
 They are very foolish,' he said. They make me cook, they eat what l serve. They say Tamada is very good cook. But he is Jap. d-n him. Sup pose l put something in that food, that they would not taste? could send them all to sleep. could kill them. l could do it so they never suspect, but would go to their beds and never get up from them. It would be very easy. Yet they trust me"
 The statement was so matter-of-fact that Rainey felt his horror gather slowly as he stared at the impassive Oriental.
 A thought suddenly flashed over him. Was Tamada in league with Carlsen? Had he mistaken his man Did CarlSen plan to have Tamada un- dertake a wholesale poisoning to se- cure the gold himself, providing the drugs? Was it n friendly hint from the Japanese?
 When Rainey'S watch was ended and he was cloSeted with Lund in the latter's cabin, the giant promptly quashed all discussion of Tamada' s attitude.
 "Tll put no trust in any slant-eyed, yelloW-skinned rice-eater" he an nounced emphatically. They're against Us, race an religion They want California, or rather, the Pacific coast, an they think they're goin' to git it. They're no more akin to us than Il sH~se is cousin to an eel. They're not . our breed, an you cant mix the two. I'll have no deal with Tamada, beyond gettin' dope out of him. If he helped Us it ud be only to further his own ends. Not that he can do much-unleSS-"
 He lowered his voice to husky whisper.
 There's one thing may slip in our god-gettin', matey," he said-"the Japanese. l doubt if this island is se' down on American or British charts But I'll bet it is on the Japanese They don't know of the gold, or it wouldn't he there. Rightly. the island may belong to Russia. but, since the war, RuSsia's in bad way, an enny- thing loose from the mainlandll be gobbled by Japan.
 What the Japs grab they don't let go of. If they should suspicion us of eittin gold off enny island they c'ud trump up to call theirs. If they found gold on us at all, It 'ud be all off with us an the Karluk. We'd be dumped inside of some Jap prison an the schooner confscated.
 An If things go right with LIS, an we ever sight the smoke of Jap gun boat comin' our way, the first thing I'll be apt to do will be to Scrag Ia mada or he'll blow the whole proposi- ton. whether we've got the gold aboard or not Even If he didn't want to tell becoz of his own share. they'd git II out of him what We was after
 "Eyer play much at cardsT' he went on. Play for yore last red when you don't know where to turn for another. an have all the crowd thinkin' yo're goin' broke as they watch the play? An then you slap down a card they've all overlooked an larf In the other chaps face?
 That's what I'm Coin' to do with Carlsen. I've got that kind of card. matey, an l ain't goin' to spoil my fun by tellin' even you what 1t is, though yore my partner in this gamble. It's a trump. an Carlsen's overlooked It."
 Lund chuckled hugely as he mixed himself some whisky and water. Rainey refused drink He was nerv- ous, bothering over what the outcome