ne crazed, without quite neglecting his other
commercial duties.

However, in the course of the next day or so, as he witnessed Captain
Kettle's method of spreading his faith, Clay's forebodings began to pass
away. There was nothing of the hypocrite about this preaching sailor;
but, at the same time, there was nothing of the dreamer. He exhorted
vast audiences daily to enter into the narrow path (as defined by the
Tyneside chapel), but, at the same time, he impressed on them that the
privilege of treading this thorny way in no manner exempted them from
the business of gathering ivory, by one means or another, for himself
and partner.

Kettle had his own notions as to how this proselytizing should be
carried on, and he set about it with a callous disregard for modern
precedent. He expounded his creed--the creed of the obscure Tyneside
chapel--partly in Coast-English, partly in the native, partly through
the medium of an interpreter, and he commanded his audience to accept
it, much as he would have ordered men under him to have carried out the
business of shipboard. If any one had doubts, he explained
further--once. But he did not allow too many doubts. One or two who
inquired too much felt the weight of his hand, and forthwith the
percentage of sceptics decreased marvellously.

Clay watched on, non-interferent, hugging himself with amusement, but
not daring to let a trace of it be seen. "And I thought," he kept
telling himself with fresh spasms of suppressed laughter, "that that
man's sole ambition was to set up here as a sort of robber baron, and
here he's wanting to be Mahomet as well. The crescent or the sword;
Kettleism or kicks; it's a pity he hasn't got some sense of humor,
because as it is I've got all the fun to myself. He'd eat me if I told
him how it looked to an outsider."

Once, with the malicious hope of drawing him, he did venture to suggest
that Kettle's method of manufacturing converts was somewhat sudden and
arbitrary, and the little sailor took him seriously at once.

"Of course it is," said he. "And if you please, why shouldn't it be? My
intelligence is far superior to theirs at the lowest estimate; and
therefore I must know what's best for them. I order them to become
members of my chapel, and they do it."

"They do it like birds," Clay admitted. "You've got a fine grip over
them."

"I think they respect me."

"Oh, they think you no end of a fine man. In fact they consider you, as
I've said