l, if that difficulty is over with, we'll go on, though we can do
only a few of the simple scenes today," the manager said.

"Do you understand the play?" he asked of Mr. DeVere.

"Not altogether. I will look over the scenario."

"I can save you the trouble," the manager went on. "I'll outline it
briefly for you. 'Out on the Deep,' is, as you can tell by the name, a
marine story. Part of it will take place in a sailors' home. That will
be the Snug Harbor, where I found Jack Jepson. We will go over to
Staten Island some day and film those scenes.

"Another part of the drama will take place in a shipping office. Of
course that will be a studio scene, taken right here. I was starting in
on that when Jack balked."

"Well, I won't again," the sailor promised.

"Glad to hear it," came from the manager. "But the big part of the play
will actually take place on deep water," Mr. Pertell resumed. "We are
going out in a big schooner, and----"

"A real schooner?" asked Jack, eagerly.

"Yes, a real schooner. It isn't a very good one, but it will answer our
purpose, especially as we have to wreck her, and she will be a total
loss. I had to pay pretty high for her, too. But I think it will be
worth it. The shipwreck scenes, in the storm, ought to be great. And
now, as I have decided to postpone the rehearsal of the play for a
while, I think it would be a good plan for some of us to go and look at
the _Mary Ellen_, and get familiar with her layout."

"The _Mary Ellen_!" cried Sailor Jack.

"Yes, that is the name of the schooner I have purchased to use as a
shipwreck," said the manager.

"Why--th' _Mary Ellen_!" cried Jack. "That was th' name of th' vessel
where th' mutiny was!" and he started to his feet in great excitement.

CHAPTER VI

CAPTAIN BRISCO

"Mutiny! What do you mean?" demanded Mr. Pertell, a little startled by
the action of the old sailor.

"That's just what I mean, sir! Oh, I forgot you don't know. But I told
these young ladies about me being in a mutiny, an' I'm under suspicion
in connection with it still. I can't go in an English port, and that's a
nice blight to put on a man!" he said indignantly.

Mr. Pertell looked bewildered.

"Perhaps I can explain," said Ruth, "and if I go wrong, Jack, please
correct me."

"That I will, Miss!" he exclaimed.

Thereupon Ruth told the whole story, much more connectedly, and more
briefly, than would have been possible for the old salt. But Ruth had
the