own
below and began to stoke. In the course of the voyage he said that
it was worth while making such a fool of himself if only to see the
skipper's beautiful steering, warmly asseverating that there was not
another man on the river that could have done it. Before this insidious
flattery the skipper's wrath melted like snow before the sun, and by the
time they reached port he would as soon have thought of hitting his own
father as his smooth-tongued engineer.

OUTSAILED

It was a momentous occasion. The two skippers sat in the private bar of
the "Old Ship," in High Street, Wapping, solemnly sipping cold gin and
smoking cigars, whose sole merit consisted in the fact that they had
been smuggled. It is well known all along the waterside that this
greatly improves their flavour.

"Draw all right?" queried Captain Berrow?-a short, fat man of few ideas,
who was the exulting owner of a bundle of them.

"Beautiful," replied Captain Tucker, who had just made an excursion into
the interior of his with the small blade of his penknife. "Why don't you
keep smokes like these, landlord?"

"He can't," chuckled Captain Berrow fatuously. "They're not to be
'ad--money couldn't buy 'em."

The landlord grunted. "Why don't you settle about that race o' yours an'
ha' done with it," he cried, as he wiped down his counter. "Seems to me,
Cap'n Tucker's hanging fire."

"I'm ready when he is," said Tucker, somewhat shortly.

"It's taking your money," said Berrow slowly; "the Thistle can't hold
a candle to the Good Intent, and you know it. Many a time that little
schooner o' mine has kept up with a steamer."

"Wher'd you ha' been if the tow rope had parted, though?" said the
master of the Thistle, with a wink at the landlord.

At this remark Captain Berrow took fire, and, with his temper rapidly
rising to fever heat, wrathfully repelled the scurvy insinuation in
language which compelled the respectful attention of all the other
customers and the hasty intervention of the landlord.

"Put up the stakes," he cried impatiently. "Put up the stakes, and don't
have so much jaw about it."

"Here's mine," said Berrow, sturdily handing over a greasy fiver. "Now,
Cap'n Tucker, cover that."

"Come on," said the landlord encouragingly; "don't let him take the wind
out of your sails like that."

Tucker handed over five sovereigns.

"High water's at 12.13," said the landlord, pocketing the stakes. "You
understand the conditions?-each o