Page:Barbour--The mystery of the sea-lark.djvu/284

266 beach and leave you to get back as well as you can."

"No you won't," said Hegan with an ugly expression, drawing a small but wicked-looking revolver from his coat pocket and pointing it at Jack.

"Put that thing down and stop your nonsense!" said Jack, furious at such a liberty being taken. Rodney, taken aback for a moment by the suddenness of the men's change of front, recovered his self-possession and quietly reached down to the mast rail for one of the belaying-pins.

"Drop that!"

The words came from Martin like the crack of a whip as he swung around, and Rodney saw that he, too, was armed.

"Is this a joke?" Jack demanded, white to the lips. He was more than half inclined to let go the wheel and with one quick step forward push Hegan over the rail into the sea. But there was something about the man's manner that showed he meant to fire if he were not obeyed.