Now put some
hurry into things, Mr. Grain; I don't want to stay here longer
than's needful."

Grain went forward about his business, but Murray, who looked somewhat
disconsolate, Kettle beckoned into the chart-house. He pulled out the
pearl bag, and emptied its contents on to the chart table. "Now, look
here, my lad," said he, "I have to send you to your room because I said
I would, and because that's discipline; but you can pocket a thimblefull
of these seed pearls just to patch up your wounded feelings, as your
share of old Rad el Moussa's fine. They are only seed pearls, as I say,
and aren't worth much. We were due to have more as a sheer matter of
justice, but it wasn't to be got. So we must make the best of what there
is. You'll bag L20 out of your lot if you sell them in the right place
ashore. I reckoned my damages at L500, and I guess I've got here
about L200."

"Thank you, sir," said Murray. "But it's rather hard being sent to my
room for a thing I could no more help than you could."

"Discipline, my lad. This will probably teach you to leave photographing
to your inferiors in the future. There's no persuading me that it isn't
that photograph box that's at the bottom of the whole mischief. Hullo,
there's the windlass going already. I'll just lock up these pearls in
the drawer, and then I must go on the bridge. Er, and about going to
your room, my lad: as long as I don't see you for three days you can do
much as you like. I don't want to be too hard. But as I said to old Rad
el Moussa, justice is justice, and discipline's got to be kept."

"And what about the rifles, sir?"

Captain Kettle winked pleasantly. "I don't know that they are rifles.
You see the cases are down on the manifest as 'machinery,' and I'm going
to put them ashore as such; but I don't mind owning to you, Mr. Mate,
that I hope old Rad finds out he was right in his information. I suppose
his neighbors will let him know within the next week or so whether they
are rifles really, or whether they aren't."

CHAPTER X

DAGO DIVERS

"I'm real glad to be able to call you 'Captain,' my lad," said Kettle,
and Murray, in delight at his new promotion, wrung his old commander's
hand again. "You've slaved hard enough as mate," Kettle went on, "though
that's only what a man's got to do at sea nowadays if he wants
promotion, and it'll probably amuse you to see Grain, who steps into
your shoes, doing the work of four deck hands and an extra bo