his trick
at the wheel came round again, during the first half of the afternoon
watch, he steered so carelessly, and ran the ship off her course so
abominably, that I had at last to send him away from the wheel, and
summon another man in his place; taking the fullest advantage, at the
same time, of the opportunity thus afforded to give him another good
rating, hot and heavy, as I felt that he intended I should.

His turn to "grind water" came round again at the latter half of the
middle watch, and when he came aft at four bells to relieve the wheel I
took care to be at hand with a reminder of his shortcomings during the
previous afternoon, and the stern expression of a hope that he would
give me no further cause to complain of him. And, not content with
that, I took up a position near him with an air that was intended to
convey to the retiring helmsman my determination to keep a strict eye
upon Master Joe's conduct during the remainder of the watch.

Joe waited a minute or two, to allow the other man to get fairly out of
hearing forward, and then remarked--

"I'm afraid, sir, I rather overdone the thing yesterday, a-stavin' in
the gig, and then capsizin' the paint. If I did, I hope you'll forgive
me, sir, and remember as I done it for the best."

"Overdid it? Did it for the best?" I ejaculated. "Why, confound you,
man, do you mean to tell me that you did those things _intentionally_?"

"Of course I did, sir," answered Joe, in much lower tones than my own,
obviously with the intention of putting me on my guard. "You see, sir,
them chaps for'ard are pretty cute; they're too old birds to be caught
with chaff; and I knew that if I was to get on the blind side of 'em,
it'd have to be by means of throwin' you into a genuine, downright
passion with me. Besides, if you'll excuse me for sayin' of it, Captain
Saint Leger, you ain't much of a hactor, sir; you're altogether too
fair, and straightfor'ard, and aboveboard to be able to deceive, or
fight on equal terms with a lot of sharp, sly, underhand, sneakin'
beggars like them in the fo'c's'le. So says I to myself, `Joe,' says I,
`if _you_ wants that crowd to believe as you're out of the skipper's
favour, and are ready to join 'em in any mischief they may be hatchin',
you've got to do somethin' to make the cap'n real downright savage with
yer.' And that's why I done it, sir. I'm boun' to allow that the
capsizin' of that there paint was perhaps a-comin' of it a _leetl