of the
seas: "Aw, go buy a farm!" He showed the letter to Mr. Murphy.

"Why, that's adding insult to injury!" the mate declared
sympathetically.

The youthful master threw up both hamlike hands in token of complete
surrender and profound disgust.

"There's the gratitude of an owner!" he raved. "He wires me my loading
orders and never says a word about docking--though as managing owner
it's up to him to know when the vessel needs docking. I can't plan her
comings and goings so that at the proper time she'll find herself at
a port with a dry dock. Of course when he wired me my loading orders
I realized he wasn't going to dock me; so I took matters into my own
hands. Why, Mike, I wouldn't skipper a ship so foul she can hardly
answer her helm. How could I know he'd forgotten she needed docking? I'm
not a mind reader."

"I suppose he's been so busy hunting another dirty cargo for us he
hadn't time to think of the vessel," Mr. Murphy sneered, and added: "The
dirty old skin-flint!"

"Well, I'll just tell Cappy Ricks where to head in!" Matt stormed. "Let
him fire me if he wants to. I don't care to sail a ship--particularly a
dirty ship--for any man who thinks I don't know my business. Mike, I'm
going to send him a telegram that'll burn his meddling old fingers."

"Give him hell for me!" pleaded Mr. Murphy. "If he fires you I'll quit,
too."

The result of this colloquy was that Cappy Ricks received this night
letter the following morning:

Alden P. Ricks,
258 California St.,
San Francisco.

Referring your letter. Men that taught me nautical ethics
expected things done without orders, minus thanks for doing
them well, plus abuse for doing them poorly. Regard your
criticism as out of place. Am not the seventh son of a seventh
son. How could I know you had overlooked fact that vessel
needed docking? Your business to plan my voyages to get me to
dry-dock port at least once a year. When you wired loading
orders, concluded you were cheap owner; hence decided dock her
without orders. Expect to be fired sooner or later, but will
leave good ship behind me so my successor cannot say, "Peasley
let her run down." Had I waited orders, vessel would have been
ruined. Yet you have not sufficient grace to express your
thanks. Had I not acted in this emergency, you would have
fired me later for incompetence, and blacklisted me for not
telling you what you know you ought to know wi