ith the captain, eh?"

"I mos' certain do. Old Doc Bird knows whar his bread is buttered,
an' he keeps right close alongside de skipper."

"Mr. Peth knows that?"

"Mr. Peth never gits no chance to fergit it. An' the cook, he ain'
got no use fo' Mr. Peth."

"I see."

"He better not go argufyin' with Shanghai Tom."

"Why not? What could the cook do?"

"Do?" Doc looked up and rolled his eyes, listened a second to make
sure the cook was busy in the galley, and then went on: "Do? He'd
let a meat axe in him. Yo' jes' want to stand clear if yo' see Mr.
Peth an' Tom lookin' crossways at each other. My goodness, Mr.
Trask, yo' sho' got a powerful lot of stuff in this grip-sack!"

"Yes, it's tightly packed. Take the stuff out and put it in the
upper bunk. I'll use the lower. So Peth and Jarrow fight. Do you
mean to tell me there's always fighting? That it amounts to
anything more than arguments?"

"Fight! Lord-amighty! Them two! They'd rather fight en a yaller
dawg likes fo' to worry a hambone. Not out an' out strakin', but
jes' kind o' pickin' en a pickin'; insultin' like. But Mr. Peth
he's makin' to do somebody hurt some time."

"Let 'em fight," said Trask, and he began to help Doc hand out the
clothing from the bag which the steward stowed above. When the bag
was partly empty Trask opened a leather pocket that was fitted to
one of the compartments. He gave an exclamation of surprise as he
found it empty. It was in this pocket that his automatic revolver
was ordinarily carried.

"What's the matter?" asked Doc.

"Oh, nothing. I've misplaced something, that's all."

"Yo' don' reckon Mr. Locke'll go an' git skeered 'count o' Mr.
Peth's carryin' on, does ye?"

"I don't believe anybody in this party is very scared of Mr. Peth."

"Now, Miss Locke, she's a powerful nice lady. I knows quality folks
the minute I comes across 'em. Now yo', Mr. Trask, is all off yo'
cou'se."

"What do you mean?"

"Yo' all ain' no business fo' mixin' in with a ship full o'
low-down rakin's an' scrapin's like we got aboard hyar."

"You mean Captain Jarrow and Mr. Peth?"

"Crew," said Doc.

"What about the crew?"

"Bad lot."

"You mean the crew can't be trusted?"

"Honest enough, sho'ly, but they ain't in yo' all's set. Now I know
quality folks, an' when I sot eyes on yo' all, I like fo' to
throwed a fit. Huh! 'Ristocrats ain' no business hoppin' along in a
boat like this. I go fo' to know 'ristocrats when I sees 'em. I was