All the possibilities of Parkins's attacking him, of young Anderson's committing suicide, and of the misconstruction that might be put upon his motives--the making of his disinterested action seem robbery--haunted his excitable imagination.

At last, while the engines were shoving their monotonous shafts backward and forward, and the "palatial steamer" Iatan was slowly pushing her way up the stream, August grew so nervous over his money that he resolved to relieve himself of part of it.

So he sent for the mud-clerk by a passing deck-hand.
"I want you to keep this money for me until I get off watch," said August.

"I made Parkins stand and deliver this morning while we were at Paducah." "You did ?" said the mud-clerk, not offering to touch the money.

"You risked your life, I declare, for that fool that called you a thief.