his hand on a man unless provoked beyond
endurance, whilst the captain, Barradas, and the Greek boatswain were
chary of neither abuse nor blows--too often without the slightest
reason. Consequently Joe and his three shipmates--who recognised him
as their leader--had developed a silent though bitter hatred of all the
officers except Barry--a hatred that only awaited an opportunity to
take vengeance for past brutalities. All four of them, so Velo told
Barry one night, had served a sentence of three months' imprisonment in
Sydney for broaching cargo, and had been picked up in a low boozing den
by Rawlings just after their release, and brought on board the _Mahina_
without the knowledge of the shipping authorities. To Barry, who had
had a long experience of deep-sea ships, this type of men was familiar.
He knew their good points as well as the bad, and knew how to manage
them without resorting to either threats or force, and consequently the
four "gaol birds," as Rawlings persistently called them, had conceived
a strong liking for the quiet-mannered, yet determined chief officer--a
liking that was not confined to themselves alone, but was shared by the
native crew as well.

For some little time the three men pursued their way in silence, and
then Joe again spoke.

"I don't want to shove myself into other people's business, sir; but
I'd like to tell you something now I has the chance to do it."

"Go ahead, Joe," replied his officer good-naturedly. "What is it?"

"Well, sir, it mightn't mean nothin' at all, and it might mean a good
deal; but it's struck me and my mates that there's something wrong
about the skipper, and from what we has seen and heard we believe they
means some sort of mischief to you."

Barry stopped. "What makes you think that, Joe?"

"Lots o' things, sir. Why, lots o' times Sam Button and Sharkey has
seen him talkin' quietly with the Greek when you were below asleep, and
I've seen him confaberlatin on the quiet with the second mate and the
bo'sun--all three together--and if you chanced to come up they'd either
quit talkin' or pretend to just be having a yarn about nothin' in
partikler. I believe, sir--and so does my mates and Velo--that they
means mischief o' some sort to you."

Barry mused. "I can't make things out at all, Joe. To tell you the
truth there is something mysterious about this ship--something that
does not satisfy me; but what it is I cannot tell."

"Aye, aye, sir; that's it