88

THE TRADE-WIND 111

SALVAGE 137

BETWEEN THE MILLSTONES 170

THE BATTLE OF THE MONSTERS 193

FROM THE ROYAL-YARD DOWN 213

NEEDS MUST WHEN THE DEVIL DRIVES 233

WHEN GREEK MEETS GREEK 259

PRIMORDIAL 272

"WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD"

"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of each; and I
believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first."
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.

PART I

The first man to climb the _Almena's_ side-ladder from the tug was the
shipping-master, and after him came the crew he had shipped. They
clustered at the rail, looking around and aloft with muttered profane
comments, one to the other, while the shipping-master approached a
gray-eyed giant who stood with a shorter but broader man at the
poop-deck steps.

"Mr. Jackson--the mate here, I s'pose?" inquired the shipping-master. A
nod answered him. "I've brought you a good crew," he continued; "we'll
just tally 'em off, and then you can sign my receipt. The captain'll be
down with the pilot this afternoon."

"I'm the mate--yes," said the giant; "but what dry-goods store did you
raid for that crowd? Did the captain pick 'em out?"

"A delegation o' parsons," muttered the short, broad man,
contemptuously.

"No, they're not parsons," said the shipping-master, as he turned to
the man, the slightest trace of a smile on his seamy face. "You're Mr.
Becker, the second mate, I take it; you'll find 'em all right, sir.
They're sailors, and good ones, too. No, Mr. Jackson, the skipper
didn't pick 'em--just asked me for sixteen good men, and there you are.
Muster up to the capstan here, boys," he called, "and be counted."

As they grouped themselves amidships with their clothes-bags, the
shipping-master beckoned the chief mate over to the rail.

"You see, Mr. Jackson," he said, with a backward glance at the men,
"I've only played the regular dodge on 'em. They've all got the
sailor's bug in their heads and want to go coasting; so I told 'em this
was a coaster."

"So she is," answered the officer; "round the Horn to Callao is
coasting. What more do they want?"