matter with him."

There were almost tears in his voice as he tugged at the chain
surreptitiously, in a vain effort to produce the cataclysm that was
overdue. But for all his efforts to appear affected, his eyes were
smiling. So were his commander's.

"Why Byng?" he asked.

"Byng cleans him, sir. He knows Byng."

"Then, why you?"

"Why; he knows me too, sir, and between the two of us, we'd manage him
proper. S'posin' he was to get huntin' on his own and one of us was
tired out chasin' him, t'other could run and catch him. If there was
only one of us, he couldn't."

"I see. Well? One of the other men might take him on the chain. A
good-conduct man, for instance."

Crothers tugged at the chain, and the unhappy dog drew away toward the
scuppers with all his remaining strength.

"He's cussed about the chain, sir--apt to drag on it and try to chaw it
through. Besides, sir, when a dawg's sick, he's like a man--same as me
an' you; he likes to 'ave 'is partic'lar pals with 'im. Now, that dawg's
fond o' me an' Byng.'

"I see. But supposing exercise isn't what he wants after all? Suppose he
needs a long rest and lots of sleep? How about that?"

The argument had reached a crisis, and Curley realized it. Joking or
not, when the commander of a ship takes too long in reaching a decision
he generally does not reach a favorable one. The leash was tugged
again, this time with some severity. The martyred Scamp was drawn on
his protesting haunches close to the official table, that the commander
might have a better view of his distress. And then the expected
happened--voluminously.

Curley stood with an expression of wooden-headed, abject innocence on
his big, broad face, and looked straight in front of him.

"He certainly is sick, sir," he remarked.

"Sick. Good heavens! The dog's turning himself inside out! That's the
last time a thing like this happens; he's the last dog I ever take on
a cruise. Take him away at once! Bosun--call some one to wipe up that
disgusting mess!"

"Take him ashore, did you say, sir?"

"Take him out of this! Take him anywhere you like! Yes, take him ashore
and lose him--feed him to the sharks--give him to the Arabs--take him
away, that's all!"

"Me and Byng, sir?"

"Yes, you and Byng! Did you hear me tell you to take him away?"

"Very good, sir; thank you!"

Curley Crothers saluted without the vestige of a smile, and hurried
off before the dog could show too early signs of recovering h