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"Whatfellow?" The as cool, but I could see sweat trickling down the back of Ja the linen between his shoulders

Duff didn’t answer immediately A look of speculation flickered in his ser said, softly, but with great assurance "I can reach ye frohtfully froht But allowin’ for the sake for argyment as how you can swiht keep afloat--I dinna think that’s true of the lady, is it? Skirts and petticoats" He shook his head, pursing thin lips in speculation as he looked at me "Go to the bottohtly, bringing his feet under hiht round the oars, and heard the note of strain in his voice I sighed and drew the pistol out froht," I said "Which one shall I shoot?"

Peter’s eyes snapped open, wide enough that I saw a rim of white show all round his black pupils He looked at the pistol, then at Duff, then directly at Jamie

"Give tea to a man name Butlah," he said "Work for Mist’ Lyon" He pointed at ested

The ice thus broken, it took very little tiers to confide the rest of what they knew, pausing only momentarily for Ja was, as Duff had suggested, so coeneral business practice; most of the ed in it, as did most others on the Carolina coast, in order to avoid the crippling duties on officially ioods Stephen Bonnet, however, was not only one of the lers, but also rather a specialist

"Brings in goods to order, like," Duff said, twisting his neck in order to scratch more effectively between his shoulder blades "And in what ye ht call quantity"

"How much quantity?" Jamie’s elbows rested on his knees, his head sunk onto his hands It see; his voice was steady

Duff pursed his lips and squinted, calculating

"There was six of us at the tavern on Roanoke Six wi’ small boats, I mean, as could run the inlets If ere each to be fetchin’ along as esay, fifty chests of tea all told, then"

"And he brings in such a load how often--every twoon his oars I hadn’t, and gave Duff a hard eye over the pistol to indicate asme warily "Couldn’t say exactly, but you hear talk, aye? Froot a load comin’ every teeks in the season, soave a brief grunt of surprise at that, and Jamie looked up briefly from his cupped hands

"What about the Navy?" he asked "Who’s he paying?" That was a good question While sht escape the Navy’s eye, Bonnet’s operation evidently involved large quantities of contraband, co on that scale--and the obvious ansas that he wasn’t bothering to hide it

Duff shook his head and shrugged

"Can’t say, man"

"But you haven’t worked for Bonnet since February?" I asked "Why not?"

Duff and Peter exchanged a glance

"You eat scorpion-fish, you hungry," Peter said to ot suerous, Sassenach," Jamie translated dryly "They dinna like to deal with him, save for need"

"Well, see hi to the topic "He’s no bad at all to deal with--sae long as your interest runs wi’ his Only, if it ht be as all of a sudden it doesna quite run with his"

Peter sole in affirmation

"And it’s no as if there’s warnin’ about it, either," Duff added, nodding too "One ars, the next, ye’re on your back in the sawdust, breathin’ blood, and happy still to be breathin’ at that"

"A temper, has he?" Jamie drew a hand down over his face, then wiped his sweaty pal damply to his shoulders, but I kneouldn’t take it off

Duff, Peter, and Roger all shook their heads sier said, and I heard the small note of strain in his voice

"Kill ye without the turn of an arse-hair," Duff assured Jamie

"Rip you like dem whale," Peter put in helpfully, with a wave toward the island The current had carried us a good deal closer to the land, and I could see the whale as well as sreat cloud over the carcass, swooping down to tear away gobbets of flesh, and a small crowd of people clustered nearby, hands to their noses, clearly clutching handkerchiefs and sachets

Just then, the wind changed, and a fetid gust of decay washed over us like a breaking wave I clapped Roger’s shirt to my own face, and even Peter appeared to pale

"Mother of God, have mercy on me," Jamie said, under his breath "I--oh, Christ!" He leaned to the side and threw up, repeatedly