and he's evidently engaged us passage; and he wants us
aboard to claim it," said he, "and that's all we can know now; and
that's enough for me."

On our way we met a whole fleet of boats racing their belated way from
town. We grinned sardonically over the plight of these worthies. A
half-hour sufficed us to change our clothes, collect our effects, and
return to the water front. On the return journey we crossed the same
fleet of boats inward bound. Their occupants looked generally very
depressed.

Yank met us at the top of the gangway, and assisted us in getting our
baggage aboard. Johnny and I peppered him with questions, to which he
vouchsafed no answer. When we had paid off the boatman, he led the way
down a hatch into a very dark hole near the bows. A dim lantern swayed
to and fro, through the murk we could make out a dozen bunks.

"They call this the fo'cas'le," said Yank placidly. "Crew sleeps here.
This is our happy home. Everything else full up. We four," said he, with
a little flash of triumph, "are just about the only galoots of the whole
b'iling at Panama that gets passage. She's loaded to the muzzle with men
that's come away around the Horn in her; and the only reason she stopped
in here at all is to get a new thing-um-a-jig of some sort that she had
lost or busted or something."

"Well, I don't like my happy home while she wobbles so," said Johnny.
"I'm going to be seasick, as usual. But for heaven's sake, Yank, tell us
where you came from, and all about it. And make it brief, for I'm going
to be seasick pretty soon."

He lay down in one of the bunks and closed his eyes.

"You'd much better come up on deck into the fresh air," said Talbot.

"Fire ahead, Yank! Please!" begged Johnny.

"Well," said Yank, "when I drew that steamer ticket, it struck me that
somebody might want it a lot more than I did, especially as you fellows
drew blank. So I hunted up a man who was in a hurry, and sold it to him
for five hundred dollars. Then I hired one of these sail-rigged fishing
boats and laid in grub for a week and went cruising out to sea five or
six miles."

Johnny opened one eye.

"Why?" he demanded feebly.

"I was figgerin' on meeting any old ship that came along a little before
the crowd got at her," said Yank. "And judgin' by the gang's remarks
that just left, I should think I'd figgered just right."

"You bet you did," put in Talbot emphatically.

"It must have been mighty uncomfortable cruising o