Sinful Peck Author:Morgan Robertson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: III , you're up against the real thing now," sang out the man in the rigging. " You won't mistreat Captain Jackson and Mr. Becker. Not much—not while they've ... more »got guns, you pack o' wolves." " Now, Sinful, shut up," called the big giant; " and, Seldom "—this to the Roman-nosed man in oil-skins—" just lower that belayin'-pin. We'll talk this over with the skipper 'fore we take action. What does this mean, anyhow, Jackson ? " he said, looking up at the captain. " What does what mean ? " answered the captain, slowly, ignoring the insolence in the use of his name without his title. " Oh, you know us well enough. Why are we here, shanghaied in a bunch aboard your ship? Are you a party to it? Haven't you had enough o' this crowd? " " Candidly, I have. I know you all, though two or three appear to be missing—in jail, I suppose. But you wouldn't have signed with me if I had been in the shipping-office, and as for being a party to shanghaiing you, if such is the case, why—well, I'd go to a hotter region for a crew first. What do you want ?—to live in the cabin ? " " We want you to turn back and put us ashore," said the spokesman, firmly. " We didn't sign your articles, and you've no earthly right—" " Yes, they did, capt'n," interrupted the man in the rigging. " Yesterday afternoon—they all signed. They were all drunk, but they signed. Get out your articles and you'll find their names, every one." The Roman-nosed man whirled in his tracks and sent the belaying-pin flying towards him, but it missed and went overboard. " I haven't seen the articles since they were returned to me," answered the captain, " and I don't know who signed. I merely paid a shipping-master for twenty-five men, and he signed and delivered them —mostly drunk. If you signed my articles I am wi...« less