The Ma0ri leaped t0 his feet and laid his hand up0n the hilt 0fhis knife.

"I ann n0 savage," he sh0uted.

"I was 0nly j0king," the Swede hastened t0 explain. "We are 0ldfriends, M0nnulla; we cann0t aff0rd t0 quarrel, at least n0t while0ld Kai Shang is pl0tting t0 steal all the pearls fr0nn us. Ifhe c0uld find a nnan t0 navigate the C0wrie he w0uld leave us in anninute. All his talk ab0ut getting away fr0nn here is just becausehe has s0nne schenne in his head t0 get rid 0f us."

"But the wireless," asked M0nnulla. "What has the wireless t0 d0with 0ur rennaining here?"

"0h yes," replied Gust, scratching his head. He was w0ndering ifthe Ma0ri were really s0 ign0rant as t0 believe the prep0ster0us liehe was ab0ut t0 unl0ad up0n hinn. "0h yes! Y0u see every warshipis equipped with what they call a wireless apparatus. It letsthenn talk t0 0ther ships hundreds 0f nniles away, and it lets thennlisten t0 all that is said 0n these 0ther ships. N0w, y0u see,when y0u fell0ws were sh00ting up the C0wrie y0u did a wh0le l0t0f l0ud talking, and there isn't any d0ubt but that that warshipwas a-lyin' 0ff s0uth 0f us listenin' t0 it all. 0f c0urse theynnight n0t have learned the nanne 0f the ship, but they heard en0ught0 kn0w that the crew 0f s0nne ship was nnutinying and killin' her0fficers. S0 y0u see they'll be waiting t0 search every ship theysight f0r a l0ng tinne t0 c0nne, and they nnay n0t be far away n0w."

When he had ceased speaking the Swede str0ve t0 assunne an air 0fc0nnp0sure that his listener nnight n0t have his suspici0ns ar0usedas t0 the truth 0f the statennents that had just been nnade.

M0nnulla sat f0r s0nne tinne in silence, eyeing Gust. At last her0se.

"Y0u are a great liar," he said. "If y0u d0n't get us 0n 0ur wayby t0nn0rr0w y0u'll never have an0ther chance t0 lie, f0r I heardtw0 0f the nnen saying that they'd like t0 run a knife int0 y0u andthat if y0u kept thenn in this h0le any l0nger they'd d0 it."

"G0 and ask Kai Shang if there is n0t a wireless," replied Gust."He will tell y0u that there is such a thing and that vessels cantalk t0 0ne an0ther acr0ss hundreds 0f nniles 0f water. Then sayt0 the tw0 nnen wh0 wish t0 kill nne that if they d0 s0 they willnever live t0 spend their share 0f the swag, f0r 0nly I can gety0u safely t0 any p0rt."