, however, Selover was afoot again, the four hanging
to him like dogs. In a moment more he had shaken them off; and before
I could intervene, he had seized a belaying pin in either hand, and
was hazing them up and down the deck.

"Mutiny, would you?" he shrilled. "You poor swabs! Forgot who was your
captain, did ye? Well, it's Captain Ezra Selover, and you can lay to
that! It would need about eight fathom of _stuff_ like you to
tie me down."

He chased them forward, and he chased them aft, and every time the
pins fell, blood followed. Finally they dived like rabbits into the
forecastle hatch. Captain Selover leaned down after them.

"Now tie yourselves up," he advised, "and then come on deck and clean
up after yourselves!" He turned to me. "Mr. Eagen, turn out the crew
to clean decks."

I descended to the forecastle, followed immediately by Handy Solomon.
The latter had taken no part in the affair. We found the men in
horrible shape, what with the bruises and cuts, and bleeding freely.

"Now you're a nice-looking Sunday school!" observed Handy Soloman,
eyeing them sardonically. "Tackel Old Scrubs, will ye? Well, some
needs a bale of cotton to fall on 'em afore they learns anything.
Enjoyed your little diversions, mates? And w'at do you expect to gain?
I asks you that, now. You poor little infants! Ain't you never tackled
him afore? Don't remember a little brigatine, name of the
_Petrel!_ My eye, but you _are_ a pack of damn fools!"

To this he received no reply. The men sullenly assisted each other.
Then they went immediately on deck and to work.

After this taste of his quality, Captain Selover enjoyed a quiet ship.
We made good time, but for a long while nothing happened. Finally the
monotony was broken by an incident.

One evening before the night winds I sat in the shadow of the extra
dory on top of the deck house. The moon was but just beyond the full,
so I suppose I must have been practically invisible. Certainly the
Nigger did not know of my presence, for he came and stood within three
feet of me without giving any sign. The companion was open. In a
moment some door below was opened also, and a scrap of conversation
came up to us very clearly.

"You haf dem finished?" the doctor's voice inquired. "So, that iss
well,"--papers rustled for a few moments. "And the r-result--
ah--exactly--it iss that exactly. Percy, mein son, that maigs
the experiment exact. We haf the process----"

"I don't see, sir, qui