a piece of pickled pork and fried banana completed what the
soup began; and he was able once more to look the captain in the face.

"I didn't know I was so much run down," he said.

"Well," said Davis, "you were as steady as a rock all day: now you've
had a little lunch, you'll be as steady as a rock again."

"Yes," was the reply, "I'm steady enough now, but I'm a queer kind of a
first officer."

"Shucks!" cried the captain. "You've only got to mind the ship's course,
and keep your slate to half a point. A babby could do that, let alone a
college graduate like you. There ain't nothing _to_ sailoring, when you
come to look it in the face. And now we'll go and put her about. Bring
the slate; we'll have to start our dead reckoning right away."

The distance run since the departure was read off the log by the
binnacle light and entered on the slate.

"Ready about," said the captain. "Give me the wheel, White Man, and you
stand by the mainsheet. Boom tackle, Mr. Hay, please, and then you can
jump forward and attend head sails."

"Ay, ay, sir," responded Herrick.

"All clear forward?" asked Davis.

"All clear, sir."

"Hard a-lee!" cried the captain. "Haul in your slack as she comes," he
called to Huish. "Haul in your slack, put your back into it; keep your
feet out of the coils." A sudden blow sent Huish flat along the deck,
and the captain was in his place. "Pick yourself up and keep the wheel
hard over!" he roared. "You wooden fool, you wanted to get killed, I
guess. Draw the jib," he cried a moment later; and then to Huish, "Give
me the wheel again, and see if you can coil that sheet."

But Huish stood and looked at Davis with an evil countenance. "Do you
know you struck me?" said he.

"Do you know I saved your life?" returned the other, not deigning to
look at him, his eyes travelling instead between the compass and the
sails. "Where would you have been if that boom had swung out and you
bundled in the slack? No, _sir_, we'll have no more of you at the
mainsheet. Seaport towns are full of mainsheet-men; they hop upon one
leg, my son, what's left of them, and the rest are dead. (Set your boom
tackle, Mr. Hay.) Struck you, did I? Lucky for you I did."

"Well," said Huish slowly, "I dessay there may be somethink in that.
'Ope there is." He turned his back elaborately on the captain, and
entered the house, where the speedy explosion of a champagne cork showed
he was attending to his comfort.

Herrick came aft