endered such services in a way to attract Captain Hallam's pleased
attention he didn't "strike for something better," as they phrased their
thought.

In one especial case, their amazement over his neglect of an opportunity
bred something like contempt of him in their minds. It was the practice
of the Hallams to keep a fleet of heavily laden coal barges in a bend of
the river above the town, bringing them down one by one to the coalyards
at "The Point" below the city as they were needed. One day in the early
winter, a coal gauger being off duty, Duncan volunteered to go up to the
bend in his stead, and measure the coal in a great fleet of barges that
had just arrived.

He found the barges unsafely bestowed, and suggested to the captain of
the Hallam yard tug boat that he should tow them into a securer
anchorage. As night was at hand the captain of the tug refused, saying
that he would attend to the matter on the morrow.

That night the first storm of the winter broke upon the river, lashing
it to fury, and threatening with destruction every species of craft that
might venture away from moorings.

About midnight one of Duncan's bedroom windows was blown in, scattering
glass and fragments of sash over his bed, and startling him out of
sleep.

Instantly the thought of the exposed coal barges flashed into his mind.
He knew that they were utterly unfit to ride out a storm, being nothing
more than great oblong boxes, loaded nearly to their gunwales with coal.
He remembered, too, the exposed position in which they had been left for
the night.

Hastily drawing on his clothing he hurried to the landing place of the
yard tug. He found no preparations making there for any attempt to save
the barges and their enormously rich cargoes, or even to rescue the
helpless men who had been left on board of them. The engineer of the
tug, who always slept on board, was there, and so were the two deck
hands and the fireman, but the fires were banked, and the captain had
not responded to the duty call of the tempest.

As the immediate representative and chief lieutenant of Captain Hallam,
Guilford Duncan was recognized as a man somewhat entitled to give
orders. On this occasion he promptly assumed so much more of authority
as did not strictly belong to him.

He instantly ordered the engineer to get up steam. He directed one of
the two deck hands to go hurriedly to the tug captain's bedroom and
order him to come to the tug at once.

A