“No, I’m not sure; and that’s what bothers me. You see, one couldn’t quite get an expert to measure out the precise necessary dose, and I’ve had to guess at it. I daren’t undercharge my bomb. If our explosion was a fizzle, and the crew didn’t get scared and run, why then they’d take her up to New Orleans whether we liked it or not; and she’d be examined. Then that intake valve couldn’t be missed, and it couldn’t be explained away. Man, as you know, the thing’s as big as a sluice-gate!” “All the bilge pumps in the Gulf of Mexico couldn’t make headway against that valve, once it was fairly opened. It’s the quickest and cleverest way of scuttling a steamboat I ever heard of or read about. But I don’t quite see how the valve is going to be turned.” “You leave that to me.” “You seem used to the game,” said Kettle, with a half sneer. “No, I’m not,” returned the other quickly. “I’ve never had my fingers in anything so ugly or so dirty before; and because I don’t want to have the experience over again, I’m going to make this turn to a big profit, or get killed in the trying. I’m tired and sick of this wild, bucketing life. A woman drove me to it; but I believe, if I had the means to settle down in comfort now, I could forget all about her, and wake up other new interests.” “Well,” said Kettle, “I hope we may each of us buy a farm out of this racket; but, I tell you straight, I’m not over sweet on the chances. To begin with, you and I can’t handle this steamboat alone. It’s an absolute certainty we must have another hand to help us. You’ll have to take the wheel and pilot her through if you can, though that’s a mighty big job for one man, and the odds are about ten to one you’ll pile her up somewhere. I’ve got to be below. At a pinch I might drive the engines, though I don’t know much of the trade; but I can’t do that and fire six two-hole boilers, and wheel coals out of the bunkers as well. Now, I think the donkeyman is the chap we want. He understands his way about down there, he’s as strong as a winch, and I fancy he knows which side his biscuit’s margarined.” “Yes, I’m with you there. We’ll have the donkeyman if he’ll come.” “Then why not sound him now?” “Because I’ll hint of this infernal scheme to no one till it’s fairly ablaze. Man! if a ghost’s whisper of it got about, the crew would rise and grab us, pistols or no pistols. They have that amount of scare in them they’d walk straight up to a Maxim gun. They’d trample us out of existence before we could fairly look round. No, my neck itches enough as things are at present; and if another on board now besides you knew what was going to be done to-night, I should feel a bowline noose inside my collar, with half a dozen hangmen beginning to tug at it.” “See here, Mr. Onslow,” said the shipmaster, “are you getting sorry you came out on this trip?”