, there will be by to-morrow night; and there's a lot of
passengers booked, some of 'em women and children. It isn't honest to
ship 'em and you know it! As to her boilers send for the Chief Engineer.
He'll tell you. You call it taking risks; I call it murder!"

"And so I understand you refuse to obey the orders of the Board?--and
yet she's got to sail on the 16th if she sinks outside."

"When I refuse to obey the orders of the Board I'll tell the Board, not
you. And when I do tell 'em I'll tell 'em something else, and that is,
that this chartering of worn-out tramps, painting 'em up and putting 'em
into the Line, has got to stop, or there'll be trouble."

"But this will be her last trip, Captain. Then we'll overhaul her."

"I've heard that lie for a year. She'll run as long as they can insure
her and her cargo. As for the women and children, I suppose they don't
count--" and he turned on his heel and left the office.

On the way out he met the Chief Engineer.

"Do the best you can, Mike," he said; "orders are we sail on the 16th."

*****

On the fourth day out this conversation took place in the smoking-room
between a group of passengers.

"Regular tub, this ship!" growled the Man-Who-Knew-It-All to the Bum
Actor. "Screw out of the water every souse she makes; lot of dirty
sailors skating over the decks instead of keeping below where they
belong; Chief Engineer loafing in the Captain's room every chance he
gets--there he goes now--and it's the second time since breakfast. And
the Captain is no better! And just look at the accommodations--three
stewards and a woman! What's that to look after thirty-five passengers?
Half the time I have to wait an hour to get something to eat--such as it
is. And my bunk wasn't made up yesterday until plumb night. That bunch
in the steerage must be having a hard time."

"We get all we pay for," essayed the Travelling Man. "She ain't rigged
for cabin passengers, and the Captain don't want 'em. Didn't want
to take me--except our folks had a lot of stuff aboard. Had enough
passengers, he said."

"Well, he took the widow and her two kids"--continued the
Man-Who-Knew-It-All--"and they were the last to get aboard. Half the
time he's playing nurse instead of looking after his ship. Had 'em all
on the bridge yesterday."

"He _had_ to take 'em," protested the Travelling Man. "She was put under
his charge by his owners--so one of the stewards told me."

"Oh!--_had to_, did he! Yes--I'