're goin'
to hold up and rob a ship?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I haven't the slightest notion," I replied;
"but, knowing Bainbridge so well as I do, I have no doubt that he has a
scheme of some sort in his head."

"Waal," agreed the skipper, "if he's pretty cute he may p'rhaps bluff a
skipper or two; but I guess he'll very soon be euchred--a man-o'-war'll
nab him afore he can say `Jack Robinson'. And now," he continued,
"about you 'uns. From things said while you was spinnin' that yarn of
the mutiny I seemed to get a sort of notion that you'd like me to put ye
ashore as soon as possible. Is that the idee?"

"Precisely," I said. "Mr Cunningham, here, naturally wishes to return
to England with as little delay as may be; and as for myself, I am
equally anxious, because, until I can get into touch with the owners of
the _Zenobia_, and be placed by them in another ship, I am losing time."

"I see," commented the skipper meditatively; "yes, I reckon I kinder
understand the situation. By the by, did you say, just now, that you
was a purty good navigator, or did I only fancy it?"

"I don't remember having exactly said such a thing," I replied; "but
possibly I may have implied as much. Anyhow, I think I am justified in
saying that I am navigator enough to take a ship from any one part of
the world to any other."

"Ah!" returned the skipper; "I had an idee that I'd understood as much.
Now, then, just listen to me. I guess I can't put ye ashore until we
arrives at Punta Arenas, away down there in the Magellan Straits,
because the solid fact is that I'm in a most tarnation, all-fired hurry
to get into the Pacific. Of course I'll be very willin' to tranship ye
into a homeward-bounder, if we happens to fall in with one--and you
really wants to go. But I've been thinkin' matters over a bit while
we've been talkin', and I've a proposition to make that maybe'll suit ye
just as well as goin' back to the old country. I s'pose you've noticed
that I haven't got nary a mate with me?"

"Well," I confessed, "to tell you the truth, I've been wondering how it
is that I have not yet seen him."

"You ha'n't seen him because I guess he ain't here to see," remarked the
skipper. "I been unfort'nit in the matter o' mates this trip," he
continued. "My reg'lar mate what always sails with me is my nevvy,
Abr'am Brown, as slick a youngster as ever I wish to see. But he met
with an accident the day before we sailed; trod on a banan