ut
elephants and men who owned them in a way that struck an answering
chord in the Cap'n's breast. But he finally gave orders for the
embarkation of Imogene, and after much more profanity and more slurs
which Hiram was obliged to listen to meekly, the task was
accomplished, and the cutter proceeded on her way along coast on
further errands of mercy.

And then the Cap'n turned and gazed on Hiram, and the showman gazed
on the Cap'n. The latter spoke first.

"Hiram," he said, "it ain't best for you and me to talk this thing
over, just as it stands now--not till we get back to Smyrna and set
down on my front piazzy. P'r'aps things won't look so skeow-wowed
then to us as they do now. We won't talk till then."

But the captain of the cutter was not as liberal-minded. In the
process of preparing his report he attempted to interview both the
Cap'n and Colonel Ward at the same time in his cabin, and at the height
of the riot of recriminations that ensued was obliged to call in some
deck-hands and have both ejected. Then he listened to them separately
with increasing interest.

"When you brought this family fight down here to sprinkle salt water
on it," he said at last, having the two of them before him again,
with a deck-hand restraining each, "you didn't get it preserved well
enough to keep it from smelling. I don't reckon I'll stir it. It
doesn't seem to be a marine disaster. The United States Government
has got other things to attend to just now besides settling it.
Listen!"

He held up a forefinger.

"Smyrna isn't so far away from the seashore but what I've had plenty
of chances to hear of Colonel Gideon Ward and his general dealings
with his neighbors. For myself, I'd rather have less money and a
reputation that didn't spread quite so far over the edges. As for
you, Cap'n Sproul, as a seaman I can sympathize with you about getting
cheated by land-pirates in that timber-land deal and in other things.
But as a representative of the Government I'm not going to help you
make good to the extent of fifteen thousand dollars on a hole and
a Cap Kidd treasure fake. Hands off for me, seeing that it's a matter
strictly in the family! This cutter is due to round to in Portland
harbor to-morrow morning a little after nine o'clock. I'll send the
two of you in my gig to Commercial Wharf, see that both are landed
at the same time, and then--well"--the commander turned quizzical
gaze from one to the other with full appreciation of