41 Lure O Gold 1904

The Heat of the Gold-Hunt
upon finding my treasure. There were others, no
doubt, just as anxious to find it as Bill, but not even
the rascally Trust was as odious to me as the man who
had so coolly and deliberately pushed my treasure-box
off the lighter and sunk it in the Bering sea. It was,
to my way of reasoning,
the worst of all the offenses in
connection with the robbery. I was on the point of
speaking to Mr. Nason and asking
him to transfer Bill
to the work on the deckhouse, when Max Fishley came
down and relieved the first officer, who immediately
left the hold.
Mr. Nason had been very gentlemanly in his treat
ment of the passengers, but Max Fishley began ordering
them about as though they were so many coolies. This
they very plainly resented, but the green-eyed third
mate had not discernment enough to note the effect of
his bearishness upon the passengers.
I felt that on the
first occasion that might arise they would make matters
interesting for Mr. Fishley.
Remarkable as it
may seem, in view of the slow
progress made in the lower hold, all the planking
and lining between decks was removed in a day.
This, I thought, was not in any way
due to the
officious supervision of Mr. Fishley,
but to the in-
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