526 MYSTIC ISLES 



pires there. 'Is uncle, Morton, is afraid 'e '11 get the 

 'abit, and wants to sen' 'im pretty far. Well, 'e remem- 

 bers 'e was in Tahiti forty years before, an' 'e been 

 dealin' in a way in vanilla with ol' Llewellyn's 'ouse 'ere. 

 So 'e makes arrangements to put ten thousan' dollars in 

 with our friend that 's jus' gone out, and buy the kid a 

 interest in the business. Down comes David, and 

 Llewellyn takes a shine to 'im, an' soon they 're thick 

 as thieves. I see it all between voyages. It 's the 

 cinema, the prize-fight, the upaupa, the women, an' the 

 bloody booze, day an' night. The vanilla business goes 

 to hell or to Fung Wah or some other Chink. David 

 blows in all 'is bleedin' capital, 'e busts in 'is 'ealth, an' 

 may be, 'e 's afraid o' somepin' worse. 'E gets a bloody 

 funk, an' goes to Lleweltyn's desk an' gets the gun. 

 Then 'e writes a letter to 'is uncle in Frisco, an' goin' out 

 on the step, 'e blows out 'is brains. I 'm on the schooner, 

 so I can't get any blame." 



Captain Pincher lit his pipe, and the glasses were re- 

 filled. 



McHenry attempted to pick up the thread of the 

 tragedy, and began: 



"Me, too, I 'm with Bill drivin' the Fetia for Nuka- 

 Hiva when David croaks himself. I drank as much as 

 he did ashore, and I 'm no slouch with the vahines; but 

 I can hold my booze, I can." 



Lying Bill, with his drink down, and his pipe smok- 

 ing, resumed, with no attention to McHenry, and a 

 withering glance at Fung Wah, who was bored and 

 walked over to the wall to glance at the barometer. 



"Well, there 's David dead on the doorstep, — 'e prob- 

 ably shot 'imself about midnight, — and Llewellyn comes 



