HONOR OF THIEVES HONOR OF THIEVES A Novel BY C. J. CUTCLIFFE HYNE AUTHOR OF “THE NEW EDEN,” “THE RECIPE FOR DIAMONDS,” “ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN KETTLE,” “THROUGH ARCTIC LAPLAND,” ETC., ETC. [Illustration] R. F. FENNO & COMPANY : 9 AND 11 EAST SIXTEENTH STREET : NEW YORK CITY LONDON—CHATTO & WINDUS, PICCADILLY 1899 Copyright, 1895-1899 BY C. J. CUTCLIFFE HYNE _Honor of Thieves._ TO MY VARIOUS SHIPMATES AND SHOREMATES ON SEA AND AMERICAN LAND IN 1893 IN MEMORY OF WHAT WE SAW TOGETHER AND WHAT WE DID. C. J. C. H. PREFACE. “It seems to me,” said a philosopher once, “that there are no entirely good men in the world, and none completely bad. Single out your best man, and you will find that he lacks perfection in some part of him; and examine your worst, and you will see that he has at least one redeeming quality.” In this book the men mostly verge towards bad: but some are better than others. Because they are merely human, they act according to their lights. You may meet others like them any day if you go out and about, and most of them give extremely good dinners. Till they are found out, you consider them amusing: afterwards, being better than they, you instantly set them down as most pernicious scoundrels, and shake hands with yourself, and write to your tailor to order more noticeable phylacteries on the next new suit. This is called “keeping up a healthy moral tone,” and does a great deal of good in the world. SCALLOWAY, SHETLAND ISLANDS, 1895. CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. The Antecedents of Patrick Onslow 11 II. A Fortune for the Pair of us 18 III. The Requirements of Mrs. Shelf 27 IV. Business at a Ball 36 V. Bimetallism 44 VI. The Tempting of Captain Owen Kettle 55 VII. £500,000—in Gold 66 VIII. The Send-off 75 IX. Ground-Bait 88 X. Mutiny 100 XI. To-Night 111 XII. A Dereliction 124 XIII. Three for Twenty-seven 137 XIV. A Pirates’ Harbor 147