“But he cannot hold a white woman,” I protested stoutly.

“Can’t, hey!  Wal’, I reckon there are ways o’ even doin’ thet, an’ if thar be, Kirby’ll find it.  They say thar’s mor’n one way ter skin a cat, an’ Joe never cut his eye teeth yisterday, let me tell yer.  Thet gurl’s not only white—­she’s got money, scads ov it, and is a good looker.  I saw her, an’ she’s some beaut; Joe ain’t passin’ up nuthin’ like that.  I reckon she won’t find no chance ter raise a holler fore he’s got her tied good an’ strong.”

I stared blankly at the fellow, a thousand questions in my mind, and a dim perception of what he meant permeating my brain.

“Do you mean,” I asked, horrified, “that he will compel her to marry him?”

“Sum smart little guesser, ain’t yer?  I reckon she’s in a right smart way ter do it, et thet.”

“And wus this the cause of the quarrel between Kirby and Kennedy?”

“Wal’, I reckon it wus; leastwise Tim wudn’t be mixed up in the affair none.  They hed it prutty blame hot, an’ I reckon thar’d bin a dead deputy if hedn’t bin fer me.  Tim thought I wus a prutty gud frien’ an’ cum over yere ter liquor, an’ eat.  Ther joke ov it is, he never know’d thet Joe hed told me all ’bout the fix he wus in, afore we cum ashore.  Hell, it wus all fixed up whut wus ter be done—­only we didn’t expect the steamer wus goin’ on north.  Thar’s sum boys wantin’ a drink; see yer agin.”

I finished shaving, making no attempt to hurry, busily thinking over this new situation.  In the first place why had Rale told me all this?  Quite probably the indiscretion never occurred to him, or a thought that the matter would prove of any personal interest to me.  He had been drinking, and was in a reckless mood; he believed me a common river roustabout, with few scruples of conscience, and possibly had even picked me out as an assistant in the affair.  I felt convinced the man had some purpose in his conversation, and that he had not finished all he intended to say, when the entrance of customers compelled his return to the bar.  His parting words implied that.  Perhaps the revolt of the deputy made it necessary for the conspirators to select another helper to properly carry out their nefarious scheme, and Rale had decided that I might answer.  I hoped this might prove the explanation, and determined to seek the earliest opportunity to impress upon that individual the fact that I was desperately in need of money, and decidedly indifferent as to how it was obtained.  If I could only have a moment alone with Kennedy, in which to learn exactly what he knew.  But it was plainly useless to hope for this privilege; the fellow slept soundly, his face hidden in his arms, the sleep of complete drunkenness.