and their loot is ours," I answers.

"Captain Fenton presents his compliments and would like to have you come
aboard," he hails.

And I went aboard, sitting in the stern-sheets of my second boat, with
the red, green, and purple flag trailing astern and eight men to the
oars. And they gave me two bosun's pipes with four side-boys and two
long ruffles from the drums as I came over the side, and in the
captain's cabin I told him what the officers of the hunting party
couldn't tell him already. And he thought it the best story he'd heard
in a long time.

I thought it was a pretty good story myself, and told it again to Mr.
Amundsen on the same long pier where I had first met him with Hilda, and
he said the blood of the old vikings must be in my veins, and uncorked
four solid hours of the old sagas, finishing up in the big front room
with fiat bread and goats' cheese and dried ptarmigan chips and
Trondhjem beer.

By and by I got a chance to tell it to Hilda--that and a little more
while I was telling it. The band, a fine band, too, was playing their
Sunday-night concert out in the plaza. I remember how the music made
pictures in my brain while I talked, though I never could remember what
they played.

However, that's no matter. Hilda says I told the story right that night.
And I've told it many a time since--to her and the children when I'm
home from sea. They are good children, who believe everything that is
told them--even the sagas of their grandfather.

THE LAST PASSENGER

Meade was having his coffee in the smoking-room. Major Crupp came in and
took a seat beside him.

A watchful steward hurried over. "Coffee, sir?"

"Please."

"Cigarette, Major?" asked Meade.

"I will--thanks."

Lavis came in. Both men passed the greetings of the evening with him,
and then Meade, at least, forgot that he existed. Only interesting
people were of value to Meade, and he had early in the passage appraised
Lavis--one of those negligible persons whose habit was to hover near
some group of notables and look at them or listen to them, and, if
encouraged, join in the conversation, or, if invited, take a hand in a
game of cards.

"Seen Cadogan since dinner, Major?" asked Meade.

"He's patrolling the deck right now."

"With the beautiful lady?"

"Nope--alone."

"Thank God! And where is she?"

"Oh, she's nicely enthroned, thank you, in an angle of the loungeroom
with that sixty-millionaire coal baron, Drissler."