er one of your
favorites, by the way. I only put that fellow in the Quickstep to please
you."

"We haven't a better man in our employ," Mr. Skinner asserted stoutly.
"He carries larger cargoes and makes faster time than any steam-schooner
captain in our vessels of similar carrying capacity. He's a dividend
producer, Mr. Ricks, and he is very efficient."

"Don't talk to me of efficiency," Cappy snarled. "What's the sense
rushing the vessel round Robin Hood's barn to make dividends, if we lose
them in lawsuits?"

"His vessel didn't lay up during the strike of the Waterfront Federation
in 1903," Skinner challenged. "You bet she didn't! Kjellin rustled up
a scab crew and kept the mob off the vessel at the point of a gun. I
understand he's a bit short-tempered, but while there are ships with
red-blooded men in them, Mr. Ricks, we must expect the men to pull off a
couple of rounds with skin gloves every so often."

Cappy looked over the rims of his spectacles at Mr. Skinner. "Skinner,"
he said impressively, "listen to me: This is the last suit that's going
to be entered against the Quickstep. Was that man Halvor Jacobsen who is
suing us second mate on the Quickstep?"

"Yes, sir."

"I knew it," Cappy shrilled triumphantly. "Skinner, with all your
efficiency ideas, you fail to see anything remarkable in that fact. Now
don't tell me you do, because I know you do not. This is the third suit
since Kjellin took charge, and that's proof enough for me that there's
something wrong with that big Finn. Those other two suits were for
injuries received by men loading cargo in the after hold. The after hold
is presided over by the second mate." Cappy waved his hands. "Huh!" he
said. "Simple!"

"I believe I comprehend," Mr. Skinner admitted. "But what are you going
to do about it? We can scarcely discharge Kjellin without a hearing and
without proof that he is to blame."

"What am I going to do about it?" Cappy echoed. "Why, I'm going to send
a judge and a jury aboard the Quickstep, try this Finn, Kjellin, and if
he's guilty of dereliction of duty I'll bet you a plug hat to one small
five-cent bag of smoking tobacco I'll know all about it inside of a
week."

"Do you mean to put a secret-service operative aboard disguised as a
deckhand?"

"Huh! Skinner, you distress me. I'm going to put Matt Peasley aboard the
Quickstep as second mate, and let Nature take its course."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, sir," Mr. Skinner advis