breakfast? Yes? Well, then, suppose you take a stroll about and see
the town. Don't get lost, and be sure and be back by eleven. My room
is forty nine; can you recollect that?"

Ralph thought he could, and was about to withdraw when the captain
pulled out a silver dollar.

"You may need a little spending money," said he. "Only I hope you
won't buy tobacco. Lads of your age, you know, are best without it,
and as for cards----"

Ralph hastened to assure him that he not only did not smoke or gamble,
but that he had some money of his own.

"Take this, however. We will call it a slight advance on your wages."

The captain insisted so genially that Ralph could not refuse.

"Looks like I've dropped into a soft snap at last," thought he, as he
found his way to the street. "I wonder if many ship captains are like
him? Them as I have read of were mostly great, big, strapping,
swearing sort of fellows, ready to knock a body down when things don't
go to suit 'em. Well, I'm glad I've got such an easy going boss to
learn a sailor's trade under. I wonder where we will sail to first? I
hope it will be a good long voyage where I can see and learn a heap."

After Ralph's departure Captain Gary sank back into his chair and
smoked his cigarette out. Then he produced another letter, addressed
in the same hand as the one given him by Ralph, and spread them out
together on his knees.

"So," said he, half aloud, while certain hard lines appeared on his
face that changed its entire expression to one of callous severity, "my
good cousin wants me to put this lad through. What is there about the
boy that he dislikes? Well, Theodore has done me more than one good
turn. What is a lad more or less?"

He stared at the wall before him, disclosing in his now widely open
eyes a brightness as of steel, for the feminine softness had vanished
utterly. "Tom Bludson will make him wish he had never been born as
quickly as even Shard could desire. To make sure, we might leave him
behind when we reach the Gold Coast. However, all this can be decided
later."

The captain lighted another cigarette, rang for a mint julep, then
addressed himself to some writing, the materials for which were
scattered about on a table by the window. He wrote several letters,
made out some orders and accounts, smoking the while and sipping his
julep through a long rye straw from time to time.

At last, promptly on the stroke of eleven, appeared a tal