Pagina 248 di 416

Nat was about to triumph, and Code himself was forced to admit

that this triumph was mostly due to Nat's own wits. First he had

stolen Nellie Tanner (Code had thought a lot about that ring

missing from Nellie's hand), then he had attached the Charming

Lass in the endeavor to take away from him the very means of his

livelihood.

Then something had happened. Schofield did not know what it was,

but something evidently very serious, for the next thing he knew

Nat had crushed his pride and manhood under a brutal and

technical charge of murder.

But this was not all.

His victim escaping him with the schooner and the means of

livelihood, Burns had employed a traitor in the crew to poison

the bait and force him to come ashore to replenish his tubs. Once

ashore, the shanghaiing was not difficult.