“Look here, Stout, it is too late for you to be squeamish. He has heard the plan and knows you agreed to it. Once his story has been told on shore, even if we back out now and put the brig into port, the cargo can be examined, and it’s good-by for you and I. Death wouldn’t be half so bad in my eyes as ten or fifteen years in jail, and that’ll be the size of it if he’s allowed to run around with our secret.”
“I s’pose you’re right,” the mate replied with a sigh; “but it’s mighty tough for the poor little fellow, all the same.”
“Not so much so as it would be for us. I’ll see to it that he has enough in the way of grub and weapons to keep him going for a year, and at the end of that time it won’t do much harm if he should tell the yarn.”
One would have said from the expression on the captain’s face that he felt certain Ned would not be alive at the end of a year; but the mate was willing to soothe his conscience with the thought that he might find some means of escaping from the key, and thus the matter was settled.
It only remained to decide upon the room which should answer for Ned’s prison until he could be sent ashore, and Mr. Stout said:
“I reckon we may as well leave him where he is, eh?”
“By no manner of means. Didn’t you say he could hear all that was said in the pantry?”
“Yes; but what of that? We needn’t go there to talk any more.”
“You’re still thick-headed, Stout. If he can hear so plainly, what’s to prevent him from chinning with some of the crew or the steward? It’s a chance we mustn’t take, for if we give out that he’s a leper and he manages to tell one of them that he was never away from the State of Maine in his life, there would likely be a very big question as to the truth of our statement.”
“Then the only vacant room is the one next to mine.”
“Exactly. We’ll put him there and leave the crew to say what shall be done with him. I’m ’way off my reckoning if they don’t insist on his going ashore the first chance. When that has been done we’ll make a big show of burning the bedding, and the thing is over.”
“Very well, sir, I shall have to give in that you can handle this matter better than I. Now, if you’ll take care of the balance of the job it’ll be a big weight off my mind. I couldn’t face that boy, knowin’ what we’re goin’ to do, without standin’ a chance of givin’ the whole snap away.”