"Bring her up to the wind," shouted Tarboe to Bissonnette. The mainsail
closed up several points, the Ninety-Nine slackened her pace and edged in
closer to the land. "Now, my girl," said Tarboe, "this is how it stands.
If we fight, there's someone sure to be hurt, and if I'm hurt, where'll
you be?"
Bissonnette interposed. "We've got nothing contraband. The gold is
ours."
"Trust that crew--but no!" cried Tarboe, with an oath. "The Government
would hold the rhino for possible owners, and then give it to a convent
or something. They shan't put foot here. They've said war, and they'll
get it. They're signalling us to stop, and they're bearing down. There
goes a shot!"
The girl had been watching the Government boat coolly. Now that it began
to bear on, she answered her father's question.
"Captain," she said, like a trusted mate, "we'll bluff them." Her eyes
flashed with the intelligence of war. "Here, quick, I'll take the
tiller. They haven't seen Bissonnette yet; he sits low. Call all hands
on deck--shout! Then, see: Loce will go down the middle hatch, get a
gun, come up with it on his shoulder, and move on to the fo'castle. Then
he'll drop down the fo'castle hatch, get along to the middle hatch, and
come up again with the gun, now with his cap, now without it, now with
his coat, now without it. He'll do that till we've got twenty or thirty
men on deck! They'll think we've been laying for them, and they'll not
come on--you see!"
Tarboe ripped out an oath.
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