. He was only appointed to this ship at the
last moment, or else I would have bucked against his coming aboard. He's
got a bad name.'

"Warby lay in his bunk for the rest of the day, but in the evening he
came on deck and said to the skipper roughly--

"'What are you going to do with that damned nigger?'

"' Keep him in irons for a day or two, I suppose. What more can I do?'

"Warby looked at him for a moment, then he says, with a sneer, that in
some ships the captain would have tied such a fellow up and given him
six dozen.

"'No doubt,' says the skipper, looking him full in his ugly face, 'no
doubt, especially in the sort of ships you've sailed in. But nothing
like that is going to happen aboard this hooker.'

"The supercargo muttered something under his breath and turned away.
Next morning, however, when we were at breakfast, he asked the captain
how long he meant to keep Sarreo in irons.

"'Till after breakfast'

"Warby jumped up in a rage and said that he protested against such a man
being given his liberty. 'Why, he'll murder me,' he says at last with a
white look in his face.

"The skipper laughed. 'You make too much of the business, Mr. Warby.
Why, he is one of the best and quietest men aboard. If you hadn't kicked
him and then swore at him, he wouldn't have tackled you. And I'm not
going to keep him in irons--that's flat.'

"After breakfast I went up for'ard to take the irons off Sarreo. He was
sitting against the windlass and smoking.

"'Here, Sarreo,' I said, 'I've come to take off your bracelets; but you
must promise not to have any more rows with the supercargo; if you won't
promise, then the captain says he'll have to keep you in irons until we
get to Fiji, and then send you to jail.'

"He promised, and from the quiet, soft manner in which he spoke, I felt
sure he was over his burst of passion, and was feeling a bit funky over
it. However, he turned-to very quietly, and was soon sent ashore with
a watering party, he being in charge of the boat which was manned by
native sailors. When he came back with the first lot of casks he told me
that the bush around the watering-place was full of pigeons. As soon as
the captain heard this he said he would go ashore and shoot some, and
Mr. Warby said he would like to join him.

"So off they went--skipper, supercargo, and Sarreo and his boat's crew.
We on board soon heard the two guns firing, and were smacking our chops
at the thought of pigeon stew for