passenger packets."

"Just because you won't have a crowd of passengers. Captain, a ship's
like a woman; any breath of scandal damages her reputation,-whether it's
true and deserved or not. And a ship-captain's like a woman's husband;
he'll put up with a lot to keep any trace of scandal away from her."

"That's the holy truth."

"A skipper on one of the bigger passenger lines would be just as keen as
you could be not to have his ship mixed up with anything discreditable.
But passengers are an impious lot. They are just bursting for want of a
job, most of them; they revel in anything like an accident to break the
monotony; and if they can spot a bit of foul play--or say they helped to
spot it--why, there they are, supplied with one good solid never-stale
yarn for all the rest of their natural lives. So you see they've every
inducement to do a lot of ferreting that a ship's officers (with other
work on hand) would not dream about."

Captain Kettle pulled thoughtfully at his neat red pointed beard.
"You're putting the thing in a new light, sir, and I thank you for what
you've said. I see my course plain before me. So soon as we have dropped
the pilot, I shall go straight to this Mr. Cranze, and tell him that
from information received I hear he's going to put Mr. Hamilton over
the side. And then I shall say: 'Into irons you go, my man, so soon as
ever Hamilton's missing.'"

Lupton laughed rather angrily. "And what would be the result of that, do
you think?"

"Cranze will get mad. He'll probably talk a good deal, and that I shall
allow within limits. But he'll not hit me. I'm not the kind of a man
that other people see fit to raise their hands to."

"You don't look it. But, my good sir, don't you see that if you speak
out like that, you'll probably scare the beggar off his game
altogether?"

"And why not? Do you think my ship's a blessed detective novel that's to
be run just for your amusement?"

Lupton tapped the table slowly with his fingers. "Now look here,
Captain," he said, "there's a chance here of our putting a stop to a
murderous game that's been going on too long, by catching a rogue
red-handed. It's to our interest to get a conviction and make an
example. It's to your interest to keep your ship free from a fuss."

"All the way."

"Quite so. My Company's prepared to buy your interest up."

"You must put it plainer than that."

"I'll put it as definitely as you like. I'll give you L20 to keep your
e