it. Good thing, too!'

"'But fifty foot! It's enough to drown in ten times over!'

"'Can't drown but once, can you? And I'd just as soon drown in fifty
foot as four--ruther, 'cause 'twouldn't take so long.'

"He didn't answer out loud; but I heard him talkin' to himself pretty
constant.

IV

"We was well out in the bay by now, and the seas was a little mite more
rugged--nothin' to hurt, you understand, but the floats was all foam,
and once in a while we'd ship a little spray. And every time that
happened Billings would jump and grab for somethin' solid--sometimes
'twas the upholstery and sometimes 'twas me. He wan't on the thwart, but
down in a heap on the cockpit floor.

"'Let go of my leg!' I sings out, after we'd hit a high wave and that
shover had made a more'n ordinary savage claw at my underpinnin'. 'You
make me nervous. Drat this everlastin' fog! Somethin' 'll bump into us
if we don't look out. Here, you go for'ard and light them
cruisin'-lights. They ain't colored 'cordin' to regulations, but they'll
have to do. Go for'ard! What you waitin' for?'

"Well, it turned out that he didn't like to leave that cockpit. I was
mad.

"'Go for'ard there and light them lights!' I yelled, hangin' to the
steerin' oar and keepin' the ark runnin' afore the wind.

"'I won't!' he says, loud and emphatic. 'Think I'm a blame fool? I sure
would be a jack-rabbit to climb over them seats the way they're buckin'
and light them lamps. You're talkin' through your hat!'

"Well, I hadn't no business to do it, but, you see, I was on salt water,
and skipper, as you might say, of the junk we was afloat in; and if
there's one thing I never would stand it's mutiny. I hauled in the oar,
jumped over the cockpit-rail, and went for him. He see me comin', stood
up, tried to get out of the way, and fell overboard backwards. Part of
him lit on one of the floats, but the biggest part trailed in the water
between the two. He clawed with his hands, but the planks was slippery,
and he slid astern fast. Just as he reached the last plank and slid off
and under I jumped after him and got him by the scruff of the neck. I
had hold of the lashin'-end with one hand and we tailed out behind the
ark, which was sloppin' along, graceful as an elephant on skates.

"I was pretty well beat out when I yanked him into that cockpit again.
Neither of us said anything for a spell, breath bein' scurce as
di'monds. But when he'd collected some of his, he spoke.