et over all, and shut
it off with the worm-an'-wheel gear from the second gratin' afterwards.'

"'Losh!' said McRimmon. 'The ineequity o' man's beyond belief. But it's
awfu' discreditable to Holdock, Steiner & Chase, if that came oot in
court.'

"'It's just my own curiosity,' I said.

"'Aweel, Dandie's afflicted wi' the same disease. Dandie, strive against
curiosity, for it brings a little dog into traps an' suchlike. Whaur was
the Kite when yon painted liner took off the Grotkau's people?'

"'Just there or thereabouts,' I said.

"'An' which o' you twa thought to cover your lights?' said he, winkin'.

"'Dandle,' I said to the dog, 'we must both strive against curiosity.
It's an unremunerative business. What's our chance o' salvage, Dandie?'

"He laughed till he choked. 'Tak' what I gie you, McPhee, an' be
content,' he said. 'Lord, how a man wastes time when he gets old. Get
aboard the Kite, mon, as soon as ye can. I've clean forgot there's a
Baltic charter yammerin' for you at London. That'll be your last voyage,
I'm thinkin', excep' by way o' pleasure.'

"Steiner's men were comin' aboard to take charge an' tow her round, an'
I passed young Steiner in a boat as I went to the Kite. He looked down
his nose; but McRimmon pipes up: 'Here's the man ye owe the Grotkau
to--at a price, Steiner--at a price! Let me introduce Mr. McPhee to
you. Maybe ye've met before; but ye've vara little luck in keepin' your
men--ashore or afloat!'

"Young Steiner looked angry enough to eat him as he chuckled an'
whustled in his dry old throat.

"'Ye've not got your award yet,' Steiner says.

"'Na, na,' says the auld man, in a screech ye could hear to the Hoe,
'but I've twa million sterlin', an' no bairns, ye Judeeas Apella, if ye
mean to fight; an' I'll match ye p'und for p'und till the last p'und's
oot. Ye ken me, Steiner! I'm McRimmon o' McNaughten & McRimmon!'

"'Dod,' he said betwix' his teeth, sittin' back in the boat, 'I've
waited fourteen year to break that Jewfirm, an' God be thankit I'll do
it now.'

"The Kite was in the Baltic while the auld man was warkin' his warks,
but I know the assessors valued the Grotkau, all told, at over three
hunder and sixty thousand--her manifest was a treat o' richness--an'
McRimmon got a third for salvin' an abandoned ship. Ye see, there's
vast deeference between towin' a ship wi' men on her an' pickin' up a
derelict--a vast deeference--in pounds sterlin'. Moreover, twa three o'
the Grotk