d and four of the white hands are
missin', and we ain't got nobody to work ship but the chinks."

"We've got to have a crew, Mr. Harris, and that's all there is to it,"
said Captain Riggs. "You say the Greek got cut?"

"Dead as a door-nail, cap'n. Went out for lamp-wicks and got hisself slit
open in a gin-mill, the fool! We're turrible short-handed, cap'n."

"Who cut him?"

"Hanged if I know. The police say the lampman, but the lampman didn't
leave the ship until after the bo'sun was done for, near as I can make it
out. But the police have the lampman locked up for it, and I'm too busy
to bother my head. First we know they'll want all the crew for witnesses.
There's some monkey-business goin' on, too."

"Now, what do you mean?" demanded the captain, losing patience.

"Just what I'm sayin' of--thar's a furriner sittin' on the dock watchin'
everything that goes over the side. Looks like a Rooshan Finn to me. What
sort of a charter we got, cap'n? This ain't no blockade-runnin' game, is
it? You got orders for Port Arthur? If you have, I'm out--I don't want no
Japs blowin' me up unless I'm paid for it."

"Mr. Harris, you are talking nonsense. We are chartered for Hong-Kong. My
orders are to get to sea to-night, no matter how I do it, and you ought
to be able to scrape up a crew at the Sailors' Home for the asking. We'll
manage all right with the chinks on deck, if we can get some good
helmsmen. You can't expect to get out with a battleship crew this trip.
Get the cargo in her and send the Dutchman ashore for men who can take
the wheel."

The mate went out, and I stepped into the saloon and presented my ticket
to the captain. I was rather surprised to find such an old man in
command, for he was gray and stooped, but he surveyed me over his glasses
with kindly eyes, although I knew he was being harassed with difficulties
in getting routine established on board the _Kut Sang_, for she had been
in dry-dock and everything seemed topsyturvy.

"Glad to meet ye, Mr. Trenholm," he said. "I'm up to my scuppers with
business. Maybe we'll sail to-night and maybe we won't, but your room is
No. 22, starboard side, well aft, all to yourself. Two more passengers to
come yet, according to the list. Didn't know I was to have passengers
this trip, so I can't tell what the accommodation will be, but we'll try
and make things homelike if they ain't like a liner. You got a valley?"
He pointed to Petrak, who stood behind me with my baggag