h long
voyage he was always expected to show himself at the office to have a
few words with the head of the firm. He was still rated as an able
seamen, with extra pay as sailmaker, but he was never expected to go
aloft. In every other respect he could still do his work, and could turn
out a new sail or alter an old one as well as any sailmaker on board Mr.
Godstone's fleet.

As Captain Murchison remarked to the owners when he saw that Joe was
this voyage to form one of his crew: "The old fellow would be worth his
pay if he never put his hand to work. He keeps a crew in good humour
with his yarns and stories; and if there is a grumbler on board he
always manages to turn the laugh against him, and to show him to the
others in his true light as a skulker and a sneak. He looks after the
boys and puts them up to their duty, and acts generally as a father to
them. A man like that, attached to the owners, always cheerful and
good-tempered, ready to make the best of everything, and to do his work
to the best of his power, is a very valuable man on board a ship. I
always feel that things will go on comfortably forward when I see Joe
Culver's name down in the articles."

"It was grand, Joe," Jack replied in answer to his question, "though it
was very awful. I had no idea that a storm would be anything like that,
or the waves so high. I have seen storms on our own East Coast, and they
seemed bad enough, but they were nothing to this."

"And this weren't nothing to some storms I have seen in these latitudes,
Master Robson. I have doubled the Cape two score of times, I should
say--eh, more than that, coming and going--and I have seen storms here
to which that which has just blown over was but a capful of wind. Why,
sir, I have seen a ship laid on her beam-ends when she was not showing a
rag of canvas, and even when we had cut all the masts away the pressure
of wind on her hull kept her down until we thought that she would never
right again. Altogether I have been wrecked eight times, and three of
them was down in these 'ere latitudes. They says as my name has been on
the books of the firm for fifty-five years; but that ain't quite
correct, for twice it was written off with D.D. after it, but somehow or
other I turned up again, just as you see. One of these 'ere businesses
happened hereabouts."

"I should like to hear about it awfully, Joe."

"Well, sir, seeing it was not what you may call an everyday sort of
affair, and as per