't to be sneezed at, an' as for French carrots, science'll
tell you there's ninety-two per cent. more nutriment in a carrot
than----"

Mr. Gibney halted this dissertation with upraised hand. "Scraggs,
it's about time you found out I ain't no potato bug, an' if you
think McGuffey's a coddlin' moth you're wrong agin. Fork over
them eggs an' the coffee an' a coupler slices o' dummy an' be
quick about it or I'll bust your bob-stay."

"Get off my ship, you murderin' pirates," Scraggs screamed.

"Not till we've et," the practical-minded engineer retorted.
"Even then we won't get off. Me an' Gib ain't got any feet left,
Scraggs. If we had to walk another step we'd be crippled for
life. Fry my eggs hard, I tell you."

"This is piracy, men. It's robbery on the high seas, an' I can
put you over the road for it," Scraggs warned them. "What's more,
I'll do it."

"The eggs, Scraggsy," boomed Mr. Gibney, "the eggs."

* * * * *

Half an hour later as the pirates, replete with provender, sat
dangling their damaged underpinning over the stern railing where
the gentle wavelets laved and cooled them, Captain Scraggs
accompanied by the new navigating officer, the new engineer, and
The Squarehead, came aft. The cripples looked up, surveyed their
successors in office, and found the sight far from reassuring.

"I've already ordered you two tramps off'n my ship," Scraggs
began formally, "an' I hereby, in the presence o' reliable
witnesses, repeats the invitation. You ain't wanted; your room's
preferred to your comp'ny, an' by stayin' a minute longer, in
defiance o' my orders, you're layin' yourselves liable to a
charge o' piracy. It'd be best for you two boys to mosey along
now an' save us all a lot o' trouble."

Mr. Gibney carefully laid his pipe aside and stood up. He was
quite an imposing spectacle in his bare feet, with his trousers
rolled up to his great knees, thereby revealing his scarlet
flannel underdrawers. With a stifled groan, McGuffey rose and
stood beside his partner, and Mr. Gibney spoke:

"Scraggs, be reasonable. We ain't lookin' for trouble; not
because we don't relish it, for we do where a couple o' scabs is
concerned, but for the simple reason that we ain't in the best o'
condition to receive it, although if you force it on us we'll do
our best. If you chuck us off the _Maggie_ an' force us to walk
back to San Francisco, we're goin' to be reported as missin'.
Honest, now, Scraggs