ht,"
he said. Then he looked down confusedly. "'Seems to me that for a
fellow just saved from drowning I haven't been over and above grateful,
Dan."

"Well, you was shook up and silly," said Dan. "Anyway, there was only
dad an' me aboard to see it. The cook he don't count."

"I might have thought about losing the bills that way," Harvey said,
half to himself, "instead of calling everybody in sight a thief.
Where's your father?"

"In the cabin. What d' you want o' him again?"

"You'll see," said Harvey, and he stepped, rather groggily, for his
head was still singing, to the cabin steps where the little ship's
clock hung in plain sight of the wheel. Troop, in the
chocolate-and-yellow painted cabin, was busy with a note-book and an
enormous black pencil which he sucked hard from time to time.

"I haven't acted quite right," said Harvey, surprised at his own
meekness.

"What's wrong naow?" said the skipper. "Walked into Dan, hev ye?"

"No; it's about you."

"I'm here to listen."

"Well, I--I'm here to take things back," said Harvey very quickly.
"When a man's saved from drowning--" he gulped.

"Ey? You'll make a man yet ef you go on this way."

"He oughtn't begin by calling people names."

"Jest an' right--right an' jest," said Troop, with the ghost of a dry
smile.

"So I'm here to say I'm sorry." Another big gulp.

Troop heaved himself slowly off the locker he was sitting on and held
out an eleven-inch hand. "I mistrusted 'twould do you sights o' good;
an' this shows I weren't mistook in my jedgments." A smothered chuckle
on deck caught his ear. "I am very seldom mistook in my jedgments." The
eleven-inch hand closed on Harvey's, numbing it to the elbow. "We'll
put a little more gristle to that 'fore we've done with you, young
feller; an' I don't think any worse of ye fer anythin' the's gone by.
You wasn't fairly responsible. Go right abaout your business an' you
won't take no hurt."

"You're white," said Dan, as Harvey regained the deck, flushed to the
tips of his ears.

"I don't feel it," said he.

"I didn't mean that way. I heard what Dad said. When Dad allows he
don't think the worse of any man, Dad's give himself away. He hates to
be mistook in his jedgments too. Ho! ho! Onct Dad has a jedgment, he'd
sooner dip his colours to the British than change it. I'm glad it's
settled right eend up. Dad's right when he says he can't take you back.
It's all the livin' we make here--fishin'. The men'll be b