ood-bye to her! A day or so in the boat; the consul packs us home,
at Uncle Sam's expense, to 'Frisco; and if that merchant don't put the
dollars down, you come to me!'

'But I thought,' began Herrick; and then broke out; 'oh, let's get on to
Peru!'

'Well, if you're going to Peru for your health, I won't say no!'
replied the captain. 'But for what other blame' shadow of a reason you
should want to go there, gets me clear. We don't want to go there with
this cargo; I don't know as old bottles is a lively article anywheres;
leastways, I'll go my bottom cent, it ain't Peru. It was always a doubt
if we could sell the schooner; I never rightly hoped to, and now I'm
sure she ain't worth a hill of beans; what's wrong with her, I don't
know; I only know it's something, or she wouldn't be here with this
truck in her inside. Then again, if we lose her, and land in Peru, where
are we? We can't declare the loss, or how did we get to Peru? In that
case the merchant can't touch the insurance; most likely he'll go bust;
and don't you think you see the three of us on the beach of Callao?'

'There's no extradition there,' said Herrick.

'Well, my son, and we want to be extraded,' said the captain.

'What's our point? We want to have a consul extrade us as far as San
Francisco and that merchant's office door. My idea is that Samoa would
be found an eligible business centre. It's dead before the wind; the
States have a consul there, and 'Frisco steamers call, so's we could
skip right back and interview the merchant.'

'Samoa?' said Herrick. 'It will take us for ever to get there.'

'Oh, with a fair wind!' said the captain.

'No trouble about the log, eh?' asked Huish.

'No, SIR,' said Davis. 'Light airs and baffling winds. Squalls and
calms. D. R.: five miles. No obs. Pumps attended. And fill in the
barometer and thermometer off of last year's trip.' 'Never saw such a
voyage,' says you to the consul. 'Thought I was going to run short...'
He stopped in mid career. 'Say,' he began again, and once more stopped.
'Beg your pardon, Herrick,' he added with undisguised humility, 'but did
you keep the run of the stores?'

'Had I been told to do so, it should have been done, as the rest was
done, to the best of my little ability,' said Herrick. 'As it was, the
cook helped himself to what he pleased.'

Davis looked at the table.

'I drew it rather fine, you see,' he said at last. 'The great thing was
to clear right out of Papeete befo