irst port at which she
called. This resolve was echoed by his own particular chum, Terence
O'Meara, third engineer of the same ship, who had likewise found life on
board the _Pericles_ anything but to his liking. The steamer was, at
the time when this story opens, on her way to Valparaiso, the principal
seaport of Chili; and, as she was now in the very centre of the South
Atlantic, Douglas hoped to escape from his tormentor in about a month's
time. As a matter of fact, Douglas and his friend were just talking the
matter over when the grizzled old quartermaster popped his head into
Douglas's cabin with the remark, "Skipper wants to see you, sir, on the
bridge. He told me particularly to say that he wanted you to come
_immediately_; and he do seem to be in a rare bad mood this morning, so
I shouldn't keep him waiting, sir, if I were you."

"All right, Thompson, all right," answered Douglas. "I'll be there in a
moment." Then, turning to Terry O'Meara, he remarked: "I wonder what
fault he will have to find this morning. I'll wager that he only wants
to see me in order to blow me up about something, confound him! Well,
Terry, old boy, I'll see you again when you come off duty in the
evening. Trot along to my cabin at about ten o'clock, as usual. Good-
bye for the time being."

With a wave of his hand, Douglas slipped out of the cabin and hurried
along the alleyway, anxious to avoid keeping Fisher waiting any longer
than was absolutely necessary. In a few seconds he reached the foot of
the bridge ladder, and, running quickly up it, found the captain
impatiently pacing up and down, evidently in the very worst of bad
tempers.

"You wish to see me, sir," said Douglas respectfully.

The skipper glared at him for a moment and then burst out with, "Yes,
you lazy young scoundrel, I do; and a precious long time you've been
coming, too. I suppose you thought that, being off duty, you could
skulk in your cabin and do nothing. I expect you were hatching some
mischief with that other bright spark, your friend O'Meara. But let me
tell you, sir, I will have no idlers on board my ship. Just remember
that; and don't let me see you talking quite so much to that young scamp
O'Meara. But that's not what I wanted to see you about. Why have you
not carried out my instructions as to that paint-work which I told you
to see about? I gave you my orders three days ago, and there is no sign
as yet of the work being commenced. Wha