“No, Pelham, no!” replied Shuffles, earnestly.  “You provoked me so by your cool taunts that I pushed you over before I thought what I was about.”

“Did you really mean to drown me?”

“Upon my soul, I did not.  If you knew how I felt when I saw you strike the water, and realized what I had done, you would forgive me.”

“I have done that already, Shuffles.”

“I would have given my own life for yours at that instant, Pelham.”

“You saved me, after all, Shuffles.  When I went over, I either hit the side of the ship, or struck my stomach on the water, for all the breath seemed to be knocked out of me.  I hardly knew what I was about in the water till I saw you.  At first I supposed you had jumped overboard to finish your job.”

“You wronged me; I would have saved you, if I had been sure of perishing myself.”

“You did save me, and I am willing to let that act offset the other.”

“I’m grateful to you for this, Pelham.  You treat me better than I deserve.”

“Never mind it now; we will call it square,” replied Pelham, lightly.  “How about the Chain, Shuffles?  We shall be in sight of land by to-morrow.”

“We can’t do anything now.”

“Why not?”

“How can we?  After what has happened, I will not reproach you for what you did.  You know how you provoked me.  You have exposed the whole affair to the officers.”

“Not a bit of it.”

“No.”

“Certainly not.  Did you ever know Augustus Pelham to violate his obligations?” demanded Pelham with dignity.

“Never before; but the captain, the second lieutenant and seven others, who would no more join the League than they would steal your pocket-book, went through all the signs with me.”

“They all voted too,” laughed Pelham.

“I am willing to confess that I played off a mean trick upon you.”

“And I have only made myself even with you.  I have not betrayed a single secret of the Chain to any one not posted—­except the signs.  If I had, of course you and I would both have been in the brig before this time.”

“I was puzzled to find nothing was said,” added Shuffles.

“No one knows anything.  The Chain is as perfect as ever.  Give me your orders, and I will carry them out.”

“The fellows have backed out now.”

“Then, of course, we must do the same.  I doubt whether we could have carried the thing out.”

“No matter whether we could or not; we must drop it for the present.  The fellows all suppose they are caught now, and expect every moment to be hauled up to the mast for an investigation.”

“They are all safe; at least we can purchase their safety for ten shillings apiece,” laughed Pelham.

“Purchase it!” exclaimed Shuffles, mystified by the language of his companion.

“Just so—­purchase it,” added Pelham; and he proceeded to inform his late rival of the trick he had invented in retaliation for the one Shuffles had put upon him.