pocket a scrap of paper. "Just listen to this for a
message!" He continued. "Just imagine how nice you'd feel, Mr. Ricks, if
you were skippering a boat and picked up a message like this at sea:

"'Grant, Master Steamer Tillicum: Gave Captain Matt Peasley a
letter to you yesterday ordering you to turn over command of
Tillicum to him on presentation or demand. This on his request
and on his insistence, as per clause in charter party, copy of
which you have. Peasley leaves to-day for Panama on City of
Para. This will be your authority for declining to surrender
the ship to him when he comes aboard there. Stand pat! Letter
with complete instructions for your guidance follows on City of
Para.

"Ricks.'"

Cappy Ricks commenced tapping one foot nervously against the other, Mr.
Skinner coughed perfunctorily, while Matt withered each with a rather
sorrowful glance.

"Of course you can imagine the shock this gave me. I give you my word
that for as much as five seconds I didn't know what to do; but after
that I got real busy. I swung the ship and came ramping back to San
Diego harbor, slipped ashore in the small boat and found Captain Grant
at the railroad station buying a ticket for San Francisco. I had to wait
and watch the ticket office for an hour before he showed up, and when he
did I made him a proposition. I told him that if he would agree to keep
away from the office of the Blue Star Navigation Company you might think
he was peeved at being relieved of his command so peremptorily, and
hence would not attach any importance to his failure to report at the
office.

"In consideration of this I gave him my word of honor that he would be
restored to his command as soon as I could bring the Tillicum back from
Panama, and meantime his salary would continue just the same--in proof
of which I gave him a check for two months' pay in advance. He said he
thought it all a very queer proceeding; but, since he was no longer in
command of the Tillicum, it wasn't up to him to ask questions, and he
agreed to my proposition. However, he said he thought he ought to wire
the company acknowledging receipt of their instructions with reference
to surrendering his command--and I agreed with him that he should.
'But,' I said, 'why bother sending such a message, collect, ashore, when
we pay a flat monthly rate to the wireless company for the plant and
operator aboard the ship