are you going to do with them knives?"

I had an inspiration. "I'm going to leave that to you men," I said.
"You may throw them overboard, if you wish--but, if you do, take
out the needles and the silk; we may need them."

There followed a savage but restrained argument among the men.
Jones, from the tent, called out irritably:--

"Don't be fools, you fellows. This happened while Leslie was asleep.
I'll swear he never moved after he lay down."

The crew reached a decision shortly after that, and came to me in
a body.

"We think," Oleson said, "that we'll lock them in the captain's
cabin, with the axe."

"Very well," I said. "Burns has the key around his neck."

Clarke, I think it was, went into the tent, and came out again
directly.

"There's no key around his neck," he said gruffly.

"It may have slipped around under his back."

"It isn't there at all."

I ran into the tent, where Jones, having exhausted the resources of