t the _Jessie Drew_ at Alpena. Sam had done
so, as we have seen, and was now established aboard the vessel. But he
was a little puzzled as to his uncle's plans.

Mr. Bumstead had said nothing further about providing a place for his
nephew where the lad might earn money, and this was what Sam wanted
more than anything else. He wanted an opening where there was not much
work, and he thought Nat's position just about filled the bill. He did
not know how hard our hero labored.

"Wait until I get in the purser's office," he mused as he puffed at
his cigarette. "I'll soon learn all there is to know, and then I'll
have my uncle see the captain and have me made purser. I don't like
Mr. Dunn. When I get his job I'll take things easy, and have a couple
of assistants to do the work. Maybe I'll let Nat be second assistant,"
he went on. "Won't I make him stand around, though!"

These thoughts were very pleasant to Sam Shaw. At heart he was a mean
youth, and he was lazy and inefficient, faults to which his uncle was,
unfortunately, blind. Mr. Bumstead thought Sam was a very fine boy.

In one of his trips about the deck, attending to his duties, Nat had
to pass close to Sam. He saw the red-haired lad smoking a cigarette,
and, knowing it was against the rules of the ship to smoke in that
part of it where Sam was, he said:

"You'd better throw that overboard before the captain sees you."

"Throw what overboard?" asked Sam in surly tones.

"That cigarette. It's against the rules to smoke 'em here."

"What do I care?" retorted Sam. "My uncle is the mate."

"That won't make any difference if Captain Marshall sees you."

"I'm not afraid of him. My uncle owns part of the ship. He could be
captain if he wanted to. I'll smoke wherever I please. Have one
yourself?" he added in a burst of generosity, for since he had had
his idea of becoming purser and having Nat for an assistant, Sam felt
in a little more tolerant mood toward our hero.

"No, thanks, I don't smoke."

"Afraid of being sick, I s'pose."

"No, it isn't that."

"Afraid the captain will see you and punish you, then?"

"Well, that's part of it. I used to smoke when I was about the docks,
but I found it didn't agree with me, so I gave it up. I like a
cigarette, but I believe they're bad for one's health. Besides, if I
did smoke, I wouldn't do it here. It's against the rules, I tell you,
and you'd better stop."

"Well, I'm not going to, and you can go and tell Captain