ever heard of such cheek!" I interrupted.

"Now, you do as I say. Father will pay you back. I'll make him," said
Paul, as though he thought the whole thing was cut and dried.

"Why, you shipped for the voyage, didn't you?"

"Ye-es. They said something like that. But I didn't mean it," said my
cousin.

"You'll find that sea captains expect a man to abide by the ship's
papers. I don't know as Captain Rogers loves you much, but maybe he'll
want to keep you just the same."

"He ain't trying to hold you," snarled Paul.

"I never signed on," I replied. "I haven't been a real member of the
crew at all. But you were very glad for Captain Rogers to take you out
of the clutches of that crimp at Buenos Ayres. You won't get away from
the Scarboro so easy."

"I ain't going to stay," he declared, bitterly. "I don't like it. I want
to go home."

"The voyage will maybe teach you something, Paul," I said, and I must
confess I enjoyed his discomfiture.

"You better help me out o' here," he threatened. "You can do it."

"If I could help you, I wouldn't," I declared, with some heat. "Think
I've forgotten what you did to me at the consul's office?"

He grinned a little; but he was angry, too. "You better help me to a
passage home," he growled.

"Not much!"

"You'll wish you had," he declared. "I'll write your mother and tell her
just how you've treated me. I've had a hard time----"

And he actually acted and spoke as though he considered himself
ill-used! I never in my life saw such a fellow. Always blaming somebody
else for the troubles he brought upon himself. I was soon tired of
listening to him.

"Come! stow all that!" I advised him. "You're a member of the Scarboro's
crew, and you joined of your own free will. The only reason I see for my
trying to get you away from here is to have you arrested and punished
for getting hold of my money at Buenos Ayres. I could put you in bad for
that. You be thankful you are away down here on the Scarboro, instead of
at Buenos Ayres."

"So you won't help me get away?" he snarled.

"No, sir!"

"All right. You wait. You'll be sorry."

"Now, don't threaten me any more," I returned. "I hope this voyage will
do you some good. I think you'll learn something before the Scarboro
reaches New Bedford again. We'll hope so, anyway."

He only snarled at me as I passed on. I had just as little to do with
him as possible while I remained aboard the bark. We were at Punta
Arenas in a few hou