The lanyard came away, and Harman, plunging his big hand in, produced
it filled with British sovereigns.
Not one of them moved or said a word for a moment, then Ginnell
suddenly squatted down on the grating beside Harman, and, taking a
sovereign between finger and thumb gingerly, as though he feared it
might burn him, examined it with a laugh. Then he bit it, spun it in
the air, caught it in his left hand and brought his great right palm
down on it with a bang.
"Hids or tails!" cried Ginnell. "Hids I win, tails you lose." He gave
a coarse laugh as he opened his palm, where the coin lay tail up.
"Hids it is," he cried, then he tossed it back into the bag and rose to
his feet.
"Come on, boys," said he, "let's bring the stuff down to the saloon and
count it."
"Better get it aboard," said Blood.
Harman looked up. The grin on his face stamped by the finding of the
gold was still there, and in the light coming through the hatch his
forehead showed beaded with sweat.
"I'm with Ginnell," said he, "let's get down to the saloon for an
overhaul. I can't wait whiles we row off to the schooner. I wants to
feel the stuff and I wants to divide it, b'g-d, right off and now.
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