as
much as they thought he should; but, out of sheer salt-water pride in
the exploit of a stripling and in deference to a letter from Cappy Ricks
requesting them to waive further probation as chief mate and issue Mr.
Peasley his master's license if they found him at all competent--this
in order that the said Peasley might take command of his barkentine, the
Retriever, forthwith--the inspectors concluded to override the rules of
the Department of Commerce, and gave Matt Peasley his master's license.

Upon his return from Seattle, Matt called at the telegraph office in
Hoquiam and received his loading instructions from the owners. His heart
beat high with youthful importance and the joy of victory as he almost
ran to the water front and engaged a big gasoline launch to take him
aboard the Retriever and then kick her into the mill dock at Cosmopolis.
His ship was not where he had left her, however, and after an hour's
search he discovered her several miles up the Chehalis river. Murphy
was on deck, gazing wistfully at the house and wishing he had some white
paint, when Matt Peasley came aboard. Even before the latter leaped to
the deck Mr. Murphy knew the glad tidings--knew them, in fact, the
very instant the boy's shining countenance appeared above the rail. The
skipper was grinning fatuously and Mr. Murphy grinned back at him.

"Well, sir," he greeted young Matt, "I see you're the permanent skipper.
I congratulate you."

"Thank you, Mike. And I hope you will have no objection to continuing in
your berth as first mate. I realize I'm pretty young for an old sailor
like you to be taking orders from--"

"Bless your soul, sir," Mr. Murphy protested; "of course I'll stick with
you! Didn't you whale the big Swede Cappy Ricks sent to Cape Town
to kick you out of your just due?" He reaffirmed his loyalty with a
contemptuous grunt.

"What are you doing way up the river?" the captain demanded.

"Oh, that's a little liberty I took," the mate declared. "You're new to
this coast; and, of course, when they ordered us to Grays Harbor I knew
we weren't going to be able to go on dry dock, because there isn't any
dry dock here. So, while you were in Seattle, I had a gasoline tug tow
us up-river. We've been lying in fresh water four days, sir, and that'll
kill most of the worms on her bottom."

"Hereafter," said Matt Peasley, "you get ten dollars a month above the
scale. Thank you."

Mr. Murphy acknowledged his appreciation.

"A