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"Meldrum is a coyote your father trapped and sent to the pen. He's a bad actor for fair. And Tighe well, if you put a hole in his head you'd blow out the brains of the Rutherford gang. For hiven's sake don't let Jess know who you are. All of sivinteen years he's been a cripple on crutches, and 't was your father that laid him up the day of his death. He's a rivingeful divil is Jess."
"I can see pretty well," replied the other; "and if you had had to look out as sharply as I've had to do for pirate junks up the Gulf of Tonquin, I fancy you would have had your eyesight improved!" "All right, Mr Meldrum," said Captain Dinks frankly. "I'm sure I did not doubt your word for a moment. I've never been so far south before, and feel a little out in my reckoning.
"As we now know where we are," said Mr Meldrum, when the fact was established, "we must give the island as wide a berth as we can, for the coast is most dangerous; and in winter-time, as it is now, July being the December of the antipodes, the most fearful storms are said to spring up at a moment's notice in its vicinity.
There was no question that Meldrum's finger had been itching on the trigger of his revolver for a week. One of the young Rutherfords had been beside him day and night to restrain the man. Dave was due for another surprise when Ned presently departed after a whispered conference with Meldrum and left his sister in the hut. Evidently something important was taking place in another part of the park.
But he fetched out his sextant all the same, as well for the mere sake of doing "something" as to oblige Mr Meldrum; and taking advantage of a favourable opportunity, he "took" the sun. "We're in 49 degrees 10 minutes south latitude," he observed after a short interval during which he had been calculating his reckoning, "and 68 degrees 45 minutes east longitude if that information can help us!"
"Ah!" said Mr Meldrum, "that's a serious consideration. However, with that lot of penguins there," and he pointed to the little colony of the quaint birds, which were still croaking and grumbling at them, not having yet become accustomed to their strange visitors, "I don't think we'll starve! Besides these gentry, too, there will be lots more sea- fowl, and perhaps some land ones as well.
I'm going to give you a choice. You and I can settle this thing with guns right here and now. That's one way out for you. I'll kill you where you stand." "W what's the other way?" stammered the outlaw. "The other way is for you to jump into that prospect hole. I'll ride away and leave you there to starve." "Goddlemighty! You wouldn't do that," Meldrum wheedled.
The disaffection had almost reached a head before Mr Meldrum came up, on account of the captain keeping the port watch, in which was Moody and two of his special chums at the unpleasant task, without allowing them a turn off below, as he had done the other watch, the members of which, however, had had their spell of duty before "all hands" had been called, and thus were fully entitled to the relief.
"You're right," said Mr Meldrum, glancing in the direction to which Mr McCarthy pointed, where some of the broken timbers of the ship, after being carried away to leeward, were now steadily drifting past her again although now in an easterly direction and in a parallel line with the cliffs to the left.
The man descended heavily from his horse and moved down the path. Rutherford eyed him grimly. "Well, I'm back," the dismounted horseman said surlily. "I see you are." "Got out of the hospital Thursday." "Hope you've made up yore mind to behave, Dan." "It doesn't hurt a man to take a drink onc't in a while." "Depends on the man. It put you in the hospital." Meldrum ripped out a sudden oath. "Wait.
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