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At least I was safe for the night, and I knew nothing could be done in the way of explaining things to Riggs before morning. I decided that I would ask for paper and write a brief account of Meeker and Petrak for him and let him judge for himself. I blew out the lamp and opened the port, but hooked it so that the heavy brass-rimmed glass acted as a shield for me as I lay in the upper berth.
But although I tried to put everything out of my mind and get some sleep, my imagination conjured up possible situations for the next day conferences with Captain Riggs, fights with Meeker, a confession forced from Petrak that he had lied when he charged me with complicity in the murder.
I stood and watched them, waiting for Petrak to stoop and take a sack. "Yer goin' to play fair with me ain't ye, Thirkle?" whined Petrak, a trace of fear crossing his face. "We're in together, share and share alike now ain't we, Thirkle? I can ask that, can't I?" "Ye'll get yer share, Reddy," said Thirkle, smiling. "That's half ain't it, Thirkle? Ye mind what I done for ye with Bucky, don't ye?"
"Clean job all around, Bucky, and I'm back to have my cut of the pile," and then I was sure of dreaming, for that was the voice of Petrak, and it seemed to me that Petrak ought to be millions of miles away, although I could not quite settle in my mind just how it was, except that I knew it couldn't be Petrak speaking I was dreaming it, and yet I couldn't be dreaming that awful pain in my head.
I heard Petrak and Buckrow coming on, and we were soon at the end of the black hole. "This is a fine place, lads," said Thirkle. "It will keep in here as well as if buried in white, dry sand." "Maybe it will and maybe it won't," growled Buckrow. "I don't call no wet hole like this fine, and never did, and I'm minded to bury the rest of it outside."
While Petrak held the spoke of the wheel with one hand, he rasped at the iron upon it with a file, cutting away the heavy manacle. Riggs and I took turns at the scuttle, and saw Thirkle and Buckrow and Long Jim carry up a dozen or more sacks. Some were put in the second boat, farther aft and out of the range of our vision, hidden as it was from us by the corner of the superstructure.
"'Says he's out of a collier, says Buckrow, speakin' loud a purpose so I can hear. "The next I know, cap'n, Reddy was tellin' Long Jim that Buckrow never paid him that two bob for a round of drinks in the Flagship Bar before the cuttin'. Don't that sound funny? Then when Petrak takes the wheel I asks him if he knows Long Jim, and he says not afore he come aboard, and Buckrow says the same.
"The gold will rust in there," said Buckrow; and I knew he was in a dangerous mood again. "Gold don't rust, Bucky," called Petrak, standing in the crevice and grinning at Thirkle. "That's the best place on the island," said Thirkle soothingly. "This is the ideal place. But if you don't like it in there, we won't put it in there, and that's an end of it, Bucky."
"That's hardly fair, Bucky," said Thirkle. "That's hardly fair on the little chap after he's stood by ye so long." "Fair enough for me, Thirkle, and fair enough for ye it'll be when ye come out." "What do ye mean by that, Buck?" demanded Thirkle, speaking over my shoulder; and then he whispered to Petrak: "Give it to him, Red now's yer chance. Quick, lad!"
There was a gleam of amusement in his eyes as he looked at Meeker, as if he thought it a joke that the missionary should be sitting on an inquiry board. Meeker returned his gaze in a disinterested manner, swaying in his chair with the motion of the ship, and fumbling his shell crucifix, as if it was a talisman to guard him against danger. Crannish was dismissed, and the next was Petrak.
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