If he
won't agree to what I propose I give you my word to tell you
so."
"Go ahead," said Billy Byrne; "I don't trust nobody wen I
don't have to; but I'll be dinged if I see any other way out of
it."
Theriere returned to the deck and seeking out the skipper
drew him to one side.
"I can get him up peaceably if I can assure him that he'll
only get a day or so in the cooler, with full rations and no
beatings. I think, sir, that that will be the easiest way out of it.
We cannot spare a man now--if we want to get the fellow
later we can always find some pretext."
"Very well, Mr. Theriere," replied the skipper, "I'll leave the
matter entirely in your hands--you can do what you want
with the fellow; it's you as had your face punched."
Theriere returned immediately to the forecastle, from which
he presently emerged with the erstwhile recalcitrant Byrne, and
for two days the latter languished in durance vile, and that
was the end of the episode, though its effects were manifold.
For one thing it implanted in the heart of Theriere a personal
hatred for the mucker, so that while heretofore his intention of
ridding himself of the man when he no longer needed him was
due purely to a matter of policy, it was now reinforced by a
keen desire for personal revenge.
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