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As the American had remarked, they were just twenty-seven souls in all: Imprimis, Captain Dinks whose wound evidently was progressing favourably, for he had lost all those feverish symptoms that were apparent the day previous and was now in a sound sleep, after eating some thin soup which Snowball had concocted for him by Mr Meldrum's direction Mr McCarthy, Adams, Frank Harness, Ben Boltrope the carpenter, and Karl Ericksen the rescued Norwegian sailor, besides Snowball and thirteen others of the crew of the Nancy Bell, making twenty of those belonging to the ship; while, of the passengers, there were six Mr Meldrum, Kate, Florry, Mrs Major Negus and her son and only hope Maurice, and lastly, though by no means least, Mr Lathrope the grand total, with the stewardess, who must not be forgotten, coming exactly to seven-and-twenty.
"If your rudder holds out," said the captain. "I'll guarantee the rudder," answered Mr Meldrum. "The only thing is, I fear the spars will go." "We must risk those, my friend. It's a case of neck or nothing now. Listen! Can you hear anything?" and the captain bent his ear to leeward. Yes, Mr Meldrum could hear something.
They are piled on the main-deck quite handy; and I will see, too, that the oars and sails are not forgotten." "Very good," answered Mr Meldrum. "But I hope we sha'n't want them after all; and, while you are down there, I'll remain here and look after the pilotage of the ship that is, if you'll send some one below in my place to see to my daughters and their arrangements.
A wag had once remarked that if you met her Grace of Meldrum returning from gardening or feeding her poultry, and were in a charitable frame of mind, you would very likely give her sixpence. But, after you had thus drawn her attention to yourself and she looked at you, Sir Walter Raleigh's cloak would not be in it!
"It was a very natural thought of yours," said Mr Meldrum, to soothe his sense of defeat. "I would have held to the same but for the carpenter." "Ah! he's a roight good man, sorr," chimed in Mr McCarthy, "and a cridit to the sarvice that brought him up. Sure, an' he's a sailor ivry inch ov him, from the crown of his hid to the sole of his fut!"
Rutherford and I don't quite agree on the terms," he drawled aloud. Beulah tossed him her revolver. "I'll call Dan, but you're not to hurt him," she whispered. When Meldrum came in answer to her summons, he met the shock of his life. In Dingwell's competent hand was a revolver aimed at his heart. The man turned savagely to Beulah. "So I'm the goat," he said with a curse.
Run your finger over the ace of clubs there, Hal. . . . How about it?" "Pin-pricked," announced Rutherford. "And they've garnered in most of the chips. What do you think?" "That I'll beat both their heads off," cut in Meldrum, purple with rage. "Not necessary, Dan," vetoed Dingwell. "We'll shear the wolves. Each of you help yourself to chips equal to the amount you have lost. . . . Now, Mr.
Each moment, too, the coast on the starboard hand rose up nearer and nearer, closing in sharply with that to port, thus showing that they were approaching the embouchure which Mr Meldrum had marked out.
"Never mind them," interposed Mr Meldrum, whose first care after the mutineers had released him and gone over the side, was to raise up poor Captain Dinks' head again and feel his pulse. "I have no doubt they will meet with their proper deserts! Let us see to the captain now.
He looked like a horseman of the plains, fit for any emergency that might confront him. Taken at advantage by the suddenness of the meeting, Meldrum gave ground with a muttered oath. The young cattleman nodded to the trio and kept on his way. None of the others knew that his heart was hammering a tattoo against his ribs or that queer little chills chased each other down his spine.
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