nters will take another four days, I should say, perhaps five, as the
bulwarks and all the paint on deck must be done."

"That makes eight days' work, Mr. Timmins. I suppose we cannot set the
painters at work until the carpenters are done?"

The mate shook his head. "Decidedly not, if the paint is to be worth
looking at, sir. It would be throwing money and time away to begin to
paint as long as the chips and dust are flying about."

"If we were to get the painting on deck done directly the carpenters
knock off we might do the outside while we are taking the cargo in?"

"Yes, we might do that," the mate assented; "though even then if it is
anything like a dusty cargo the paint wouldn't show up as smooth and
clean as one would like to see it."

"Well, we can't help that," the captain said. "I have just come from the
office, and they have had an offer for a freight, part to Alexandria and
part to Smyrna; but they wanted to begin to load at once. I said that
was out of the question, but that I thought I could begin to take it on
board next Monday."

"Well, it will be quick work, sir. However, if you can get them to put a
good strong gang of carpenters on board they might get the deck finished
off by Wednesday evening. Anyhow, we might have the painters on board
on Thursday morning, and if they are sharp they should finish by the
time they knock off on Saturday."

[Illustration: "WE ARE DESPERATE MEN AND WELL ARMED"]

"Yes. Two coats will be sufficient," the captain said; "at any rate in
most places. They might send a man or two to-morrow to put a coat at
once on at the gangways and other places where it is worst."

"Do you know what the cargo is, captain?"

"Mixed cargo; some railway iron for Egypt, the rest hardware and dry
goods of one sort and another, but beyond that I did not hear any
particulars."

"Well, captain, I think we can say that we shall be ready to take it on
board on Monday. Will you get them at the office to write to the two
mates to tell them to be here the first thing in the morning?

"I think you are in luck, youngster," Mr. Timmins went on as the captain
left the ship to see that a strong gang of carpenters were set to work.
"A trip up the Mediterranean will be a capital breaking in for you. You
will hardly be out of sight of land all the way, and Alexandria and
Smyrna are two ports well worth seeing. We don't very often get a jaunt
up the Mediterranean now; those rascally steamers get all