A dozen good men on deck might do the business." "But are there a dozen aboard to be trusted ?" He hesitated, running the names over in his mind, evidently weighing each one carefully.
"Well, yes sir.

I rather think there are," he said finally.

"It won't do for to make any mistake here, but I'm pretty sure of these fellows.
I'd say that in both watches there's maybe fourteen to be relied on.
There's one or two others in the starboard watch who are likely enough all right, but I don't get to see them alone much." "Who do you pick out ?" "In my watch there's Jones, Harwood and Simms, either English or Welsh.

They're all right.

Then there's a nigger named Sam; Schmitt, a Dutchman, with his partner, whose name I don't know, and two Frenchies, Ravel and Pierre.