ers, Sheldon lay back in his chair with
closed eyes.

"It's ben fair hell, sir," Captain Oleson began, then broke off to help
himself to more whisky. "It's ben fair hell, Mr. Sheldon, I tell you.
Contrary winds and calms. We've ben driftin' all about the shop for ten
days. There's ten thousand sharks following us for the tucker we've ben
throwin' over to them. They was snappin' at the oars when we started to
come ashore. I wisht to God a nor'wester'd come along an' blow the
Solomons clean to hell."

"We got it from the water--water from Owga creek. Filled my casks with
it. How was we to know? I've filled there before an' it was all right.
We had sixty recruits-full up; and my crew of fifteen. We've ben buryin'
them day an' night. The beggars won't live, damn them! They die out of
spite. Only three of my crew left on its legs. Five more down. Seven
dead. Oh, hell! What's the good of talkin'?"

"How many recruits left?" Sheldon asked.

"Lost half. Thirty left. Twenty down, and ten tottering around."

Sheldon sighed.

"That means another addition to the hospital. We've got to get them
ashore somehow.--Viaburi! Hey, you, Viaburi, ring big fella bell strong
fella too much."

The hands, called in from the fields at that unwonted hour, were split
into detachments. Some were sent into the woods to cut timber for house-
beams, others to cutting cane-grass for thatching, and forty of them
lifted a whale-boat above their heads and carried it down to the sea.
Sheldon had gritted his teeth, pulled his collapsing soul together, and
taken Berande plantation into his fist once more.

"Have you seen the barometer?" Captain Oleson asked, pausing at the
bottom of the steps on his way to oversee the disembarkation of the sick.

"No," Sheldon answered. "Is it down?"

"It's going down."

"Then you'd better sleep aboard to-night," was Sheldon's judgment. "Never
mind the funeral. I'll see to poor Hughie."

"A nigger was kicking the bucket when I dropped anchor."

The captain made the statement as a simple fact, but obviously waited for
a suggestion. The other felt a sudden wave of irritation rush through
him.

"Dump him over," he cried. "Great God, man! don't you think I've got
enough graves ashore?"

"I just wanted to know, that was all," the captain answered, in no wise
offended.

Sheldon regretted his childishness.

"Oh, Captain Oleson," he called. "If you can see your way to it, come
ashore