August paused a moment, checked by a sense of the dangerousness of his undertaking.

Then he picked up a stick of wood and touched the gambler, who could not have been very sound asleep, lying in hearing of the curses of the mob on the shore.

At first Parkins did not move, but August gave him a still more vigorous thrust.

Then he peered out between the blanket and the handkerchief over his forehead.
"I will take that money you won last night from that young man, if you please." [Illustration: WAKING UP AN UGLY CUSTOMER.] Parkins saw that it was useless to deny his identity.

"Do you want to be shot ?" he asked fiercely.
"Not any more than you want to be hung," said August.