"

"You think the Finn was responsible, do you?"

"Ah is sho' of it."

"We'll hope you're wrong, Sam," laughed Pop. "Certainly we're not
looking for hard luck. We're out for fun."

"Ah hopes yo' all has it," said Sam, but he shook his head doubtfully
and muttered to himself as he took the empty soup bowl from Fred's hands
and carried it off into the galley.

"He's a queer one," said Pop laughing as he watched the cook's
disappearing figure. "Imagine accusing all Finns of being hard luck."

"It's pretty tough on the race, I should say," said String.

"Yes," laughed Pop, "and just imagine what would happen if we were over
in Finland. There certainly must be a lot of hard luck there."

"Oh, Sam doesn't know any better," said Grant. "He's ignorant and like
all darkies is superstitious. Sailors are too, and as Sam is a
combination of both he is worse than usual."

"He's made me feel sort of queer though," said Fred. "Of course it's
silly and I suppose it's partly because I'm nervous after fainting but I
feel as if something was hanging over us."

"Don't be foolish, Fred," exclaimed Grant.

"I'll get over it all right," said Fred lightly. "At the same time Sam's
talk has gotten me stirred up some."

"Forget it," urged Pop briefly. "Come on up on deck and see what's going
on."

"I think I'll stay here in my bunk a little while," said Fred. "I
haven't quite recovered my nerve yet. You fellows go on up."

"All right," said Grant. "We'll see you later."

They made their way up on deck and found that the _Josephine_ was
still at anchor and that the wind instead of changing was blowing in the
same direction and seemed fresher than formerly.

"The Finn's giving us head winds," said Pop in a low voice to his
companions.

"There's Petersen over there now," remarked String. "He certainly looks
harmless enough."

"And I guess he is," added Grant.

"Fred isn't sure of it any more."

"He'll feel differently about it when he has recovered from the shock he
had," said Grant confidently.

"Perhaps," String admitted doubtfully. "Fred gets queer notions though."

"Let's ask Captain Dodge about it," exclaimed Grant. "There he is now."

"How's the patient?" asked the captain cheerily as the boys approached.

"All right," said Grant. "He finished all the soup that Sam brought him,
I noticed. We were talking to Sam down in the cabin and he has gotten
Fred excited."

"What about?" demanded the captain curiously.

"