tal interest; but this only
endured for a couple of days. No really sound idea came, and so the
work of destruction was resumed until only half a dozen bales were
left, and it was resolved to hold these whatever happened. The mate
was a sailor of the old school, and clung to the grog and tobacco
traditions of the eighteenth century. He might have forgiven the
purveyors of defective food, but if bad grog and tobacco were
supplied there was no forgiveness for that, here or hereafter! He
believed in the crew being served with grog whenever they were called
upon to do extra work, such as shortening sail or setting it, and
although he never allowed smoking when on duty, or expectoration on
the quarter-deck, a skilful seaman was all the more popular with him
if he chewed. His opinion was that they did better work, and more of
it, when they rolled a quid about in their mouths. If his attention
was called to a small boy who was practising the habit, a
pride-of-race smile would come into his face, and his laughing eyes
indicated the joy it was giving him. Then he would say, "Thank God,
the race is not becoming extinct. I have always hope of a youngster
turning out satisfactorily if he works well and chews well." As a
matter of fact, his conviction was that a boy or man who adopted the
practice did so instinctively because they were born sailors, and were
true types of British manhood. Indeed, he regarded manhood as strictly
confined to his own class, though on many occasions I have seen
volcanic evidences of shattered faith. It was not so much the money
value of the tobacco, but the _racial affection he had for it_ that
caused him to feel indignant at the suggestion of it being thrown to
the waves.

The second day subsequent to this conflict, it was the first mate's
afternoon watch below. He had partaken of his midday meal, and went to
the bridge to have a smoke. As he looked down at the bales of goods,
he said to the second mate--

"However the thought of destroying that beautiful stuff can have
entered the mind of man I cannot fathom. I think I have got him
persuaded to leave well alone. It must be nothing short of stark
lunacy."

And the two men were agreed that had their captain _been as short of
it as they_ had been one time and another he would not talk such
foolishness. The chief mate intimated that he was going to have a nap,
but that his mind was torn with presentiment which he could not speak
about calmly. At four