the watch on deck
clustered at the mast-heads to try to raise the Lion's Head from out the
sapphire sea, Dag Daughtry dropped down the ladder of the open hatchway
into the main hold. Here, in long tiers, with alleyways between, the
water-casks were chocked safely on their sides.

From inside his shirt the steward drew a brace, and to it fitted a half-
inch bit from his hip-pocket. On his knees, he bored through the head of
the first cask until the water rushed out upon the deck and flowed down
into the bilge. He worked quickly, boring cask after cask down the
alleyway that led to deeper twilight. When he had reached the end of the
first row of casks he paused a moment to listen to the gurglings of the
many half-inch streams running to waste. His quick ears caught a similar
gurgling from the right in the direction of the next alleyway. Listening
closely, he could have sworn he heard the sounds of a bit biting into
hard wood.

A minute later, his own brace and bit carefully secreted, his hand was
descending on the shoulder of a man he could not recognize in the gloom,
but who, on his knees and wheezing, was steadily boring into the head of
a cask. The culprit made no effort to escape, and when Daughtry struck a
match he gazed down into the upturned face of the Ancient Mariner.

"My word!" the steward muttered his amazement softly. "What in hell are
you running water out for?"

He could feel the old man's form trembling with violent nervousness, and
his own heart smote him for gentleness.

"It's all right," he whispered. "Don't mind me. How many have you
bored?"

"All in this tier," came the whispered answer. "You will not inform on
me to the . . . the others?"

"Inform?" Daughtry laughed softly. "I don't mind telling you that we're
playing the same game, though I don't know why you should play it. I've
just finished boring all of the starboard row. Now I tell you, sir, you
skin out right now, quietly, while the goin' is good. Everybody's aloft,
and you won't be noticed. I'll go ahead and finish this job . . . all
but enough water to last us say a dozen days."

"I should like to talk with you . . . to explain matters," the Ancient
Mariner whispered.

"Sure, sir, an' I don't mind sayin', sir, that I'm just plain mad curious
to hear. I'll join you down in the cabin, say in ten minutes, and we can
have a real gam. But anyway, whatever your game is, I'm with you.
Because it happens to be my game t