Swanson! I'm a new man now, and let's
forget the past. Fish tell no tales, Joe; fish tell no tales. I'm an old
man, but I'm quartermaster o' this packet. I'm an old man, but I'm a new
man inside--"

And turning abruptly, muttering as if he was actually out of his head,
old Jerry Smith shuffled to the companionway and vanished. For a moment
Swanson stared after him as if in surprise, then Mart felt his chum's
hand on his arm.

"Better get out o' here, Mart! They'll be sendin' the men forward pretty
soon."

"You're right," Mart cautiously led the way aft, as Swanson began
ascending the ladder to the bridge deck. When he had vanished, the two
boys hurriedly gained their own staterooms, and Bob stopped with Mart
for a short chat.

"What d'you reckon those old fellows meant?" asked Mart, rumpling his
black hair in perplexity. "Think they knew each other before this?"

"Looks like it," agreed Bob thoughtfully, his blue eyes narrowed. "What
did they mean by 'getting' Bucko Tom, an' the _Melbourne_ officers? Do
you s'pose--"

"Pirates!" cried Mart excitedly, and dropped his voice. "They were
pirates together on a ship called the _Coralie_! Bet you a dollar on
it!"

"Then we're off to sea with a couple o' pirates aboard," responded Bob,
as they heard shouted orders above, and the engines began to throb.
"Shucks--forget it, Mart--we'll wake up plumb out of sight o' land.
We're off--hooray for Tringanu!"

And the _Seamew_ had begun her long voyage.

CHAPTER IV

THE PIRATE SHARK

During the days that followed, the boys saw little of Captain Hollinger.
He was largely occupied with getting everything running smoothly aboard
ship, during his watches on deck, and except at mealtime he kept to his
stateroom at work over maps and papers.

Mart's work was extremely nominal, although necessary. He had few
messages to send out and invariably directed that answers be sent at a
given time of day, so that he had little more than four hours of work
each morning. Bob usually stuck close to the wireless house at this
time, and in fact the boys made it a sort of headquarters during the
day. It stood back of the chart house on the lower bridge, and the
second mate or old Jerry Smith would spend many a "watch below" with
them. Swanson, however, kept surlily to himself.

"Liverpool" Peters, the second mate, was a pleasant young Britisher who
had been at sea practically all his life, while old Jerry was full of
odd ways and