’But it ain’t any use, gentlemen; I tell you again, as I’ve told you a half a dozen times before, I warn’t raised to it, and I ain’t a-going to resk it.’

I felt relieved.  ‘His level head will be his sufficient protection,’ I said to myself.

During the fortnight’s run from Acapulco to San Francisco I several times saw the gamblers talking earnestly with Backus, and once I threw out a gentle warning to him.  He chuckled comfortably and said—­

’Oh, yes! they tag around after me considerable—­want me to play a little, just for amusement, they say—­but laws-a-me, if my folks have told me once to look out for that sort of live-stock, they’ve told me a thousand times, I reckon.’

By-and-bye, in due course, we were approaching San Francisco.  It was an ugly black night, with a strong wind blowing, but there was not much sea.  I was on deck, alone.  Toward ten I started below.  A figure issued from the gamblers’ den, and disappeared in the darkness.  I experienced a shock, for I was sure it was Backus.  I flew down the companion-way, looked about for him, could not find him, then returned to the deck just in time to catch a glimpse of him as he re-entered that confounded nest of rascality.  Had he yielded at last?  I feared it.  What had he gone below for?—­His bag of coin?  Possibly.  I drew near the door, full of bodings.  It was a-crack, and I glanced in and saw a sight that made me bitterly wish I had given my attention to saving my poor cattle-friend, instead of reading and dreaming my foolish time away.  He was gambling.  Worse still, he was being plied with champagne, and was already showing some effect from it.  He praised the ‘cider,’ as he called it, and said now that he had got a taste of it he almost believed he would drink it if it was spirits, it was so good and so ahead of anything he had ever run across before.  Surreptitious smiles, at this, passed from one rascal to another, and they filled all the glasses, and whilst Backus honestly drained his to the bottom they pretended to do the same, but threw the wine over their shoulders.

I could not bear the scene, so I wandered forward and tried to interest myself in the sea and the voices of the wind.  But no, my uneasy spirit kept dragging me back at quarter-hour intervals; and always I saw Backus drinking his wine—­fairly and squarely, and the others throwing theirs away.  It was the painfullest night I ever spent.

The only hope I had was that we might reach our anchorage with speed—­ that would break up the game.  I helped the ship along all I could with my prayers.  At last we went booming through the Golden Gate, and my pulses leaped for joy.  I hurried back to that door and glanced in.  Alas, there was small room for hope—­Backus’s eyes were heavy and bloodshot, his sweaty face was crimson, his speech maudlin and thick, his body sawed drunkenly about with the weaving motion of the ship.  He drained another glass to the dregs, whilst the cards were being dealt.