"
"As I covered him, Jarvis touched my elbow. 'I beg your pardon, sir,
but you're a gentleman and a passenger, and Mr. Grimalson's our
senior officer, when all's said, _and_ in command. . . . I'm not
talkin' about the rights of it nor the wrongs of it,' Jarvis went on,
as I still held the revolver levelled:' but 'tis flat mutiny you're
committing; and me and my mates'll have to range up on the side of
order. Whereby you'll be no match for us. . . . Oh, sir,' he
pleaded, 'let up with quarrelling, and let's all die decent, if we
must, when the time comes--and with a lady in the boat!'
"'Thank you, Jarvis,' said I; and lowering my revolver drew out the
cartridges pretty deliberately. 'I beg your pardon, Mr. Grimalson.
I shall not, on any provocation, interfere with you again. But
before you start baling the boat, I'll ask you to note that the third
water-breaker is stove, and it was the only full one. Saltish this
water may be, but nine-tenths of it is honest rain from heaven.'
"'My God, sir, and it's truth!' verified one of the seamen who had
scrambled forward.
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