se necessary. The crew, consisting of captain,
mate, and boy, who were doing their first trip on a steamer, had been
transferred at the last moment from their sailing-barge the Witch, and
found to their discomfort that the engineer, who had not expected to
sail so soon, was terribly and abusively drunk. Every moment he could
spare from his engines he thrust the upper part of his body through the
small hatchway, and rowed with his commander.

"Ahoy, bargee!" he shouted, popping up like a jack-in-the-box, after a
brief cessation of hostilities.

"Don't take no notice of 'im," said the mate. "'E's got a bottle of
brandy down there, an' he's 'alf mad."

"If I knew anything o' them blessed engines," growled the skipper, "I'd
go and hit 'im over the head."

"But you don't," said the mate, "and neither do I, so you'd better keep
quiet."

"You think you're a fine feller," continued the engineer, "standing up
there an' playing with that little wheel. You think you're doing all the
work. What's the boy doing? Send him down to stoke."

"Go down," said the skipper, grinning with fury, and the boy reluctantly
obeyed.

"You think," said the engineer pathetically, after he had cuffed the
boy's head and dropped him down below by the scruff of his neck, "you
think because I've got a black face I'm not a man. There's many a hoily
face 'ides a good 'art."

"I don't think nothing about it," grunted the skipper; "you do your
work, and I'll do mine."

"Don't you give me none of your back answers," bellowed the engineer,
"'cos I won't have 'em."

The skipper shrugged his shoulders and exchanged glances with his
sympathetic mate. "Wait till I get 'im ashore," he murmured.

"The biler is wore out," said the engineer, re-appearing after a hasty
dive below. "It may bust at any moment."

As though to confirm his words fearful sounds were heard proceeding from
below.

"It's only the boy," said the mate, "he's scared--natural."

"I thought it was the biler," said the skipper, with a sigh of relief.
"It was loud enough."

As he spoke the boy got his head out of the hatchway, and, rendered
desperate with fear, fairly fought his way past the engineer and gained
the deck.

"Very good," said the engineer, as he followed him on deck and staggered
to the side. "I've had enough o' you lot."

"Hadn't you better go down to them engines?" shouted the skipper.

"Am I your SLAVE?" demanded the engineer tearfully. "Tell me that. Am I
your