; whereupon Captain Vandertallen
winked hard at him, and strongly urged that it should be put up with,
and to keep his eye on the girls who were to inherit their father's
fortune.

"I tink," said he, "I vill marry de one and you vill have de other."

"I don't know about that," retorted James Leigh. "You see I've a girl
at home, and somehow I thinks a lot about her. But a bit of money
makes a difference; I must think it over."

Quarterdeck etiquette was not observed between the two men. The
captain addressed his first officer as Jim, and Jim addressed his
captain as "Dutchy." This familiarity was arrived at soon after they
came together, owing to a strong difference of opinion on some point
of seamanship which had to do with the way a topgallant sail ought to
be taken in without running any risk of splitting it. The quarrel was
furious. Jim had called his commander "a blithering, fat-headed
Dutchman, not fit to have charge of a dung barge, much less a
square-rigged ship. Captain Kickem of the _Pacific_ would not have
carried you as ballast."

Vandertallen was almost inarticulate. He frothed out--

"Yes, an' you he vould not carry at all; you too much chick. Remember
I the captain, and I vill discharge you at first port."

"Oh, you go to h----!"

"No, I vill not go to h----. I'll just stay here, and you can go to
----. You jist a boy."

"All right, Dutchy," replied the refractory mate; "you'll want me
before I want you."

And this was a correct prediction, as, a few days later, Dutchy lost
himself, and was obliged to come to his mate and ask the true position
of the vessel.

"I am not captain," said he. "Do it yourself; you are a very clever
fellow."

"No, no," said Vandertallen; "you know better dan me. Let us be
friends, Jim. I call you Jim; you call me Dutchy, or vat you like."

"All right, then," said James Leigh. "If that is to be the way, I'll
tell you where you are, and if you had run in the same direction other
four hours you would have been ashore on the Island of Mocha."

"Vair is dat?" said Vandertallen, nervously.

"For Heaven's sake don't ask such silly questions," said the mate.
"You are miles out of your reckoning."

"Vell, I'm d----!" said the amazed skipper. "Den you must do de
reckonin' now, Jim."

"That's all very well, Dutchy, but if I have to do the navigation I am
entitled to share the pay."

"Vary vell," replied his captain, "dat agree."

So henceforth they were co-partners