ARINE INSURANCE BROKERS

As exemplified in the persons of my good friends,

Messrs. E. B. Smith, Oscar J. Beyfuss, and Allan Hayes.

This volume is dedicated, without charge for the advertising but with
profound appreciation of the part they have made in making this book
possible. With the author they must bear an equal burden of whatever of
praise or censure shall entail.

CONTENTS

I. Master of Many Ships and Skipper of None
II. The Man from Blue Water
III. Under the Blue Star Flag
IV. Bad News from Cape Town
V. Matt Peasley Assumes Office
VI. Wordy War at a Dollar a Word
VII. Cappy Ricks Makes Bad Medicine
VIII. All Hands and Feet to the Rescue
IX. Mr. Murphy Advises Preparedness
X. The Battle of Table Bay
XI. Mr. Skinner Receives a Telegram
XII. The Campaign Opens
XIII. An Old Friend Returns and Cappy Leads Another Ace
XIV. Insult Added to Injury
XV. Rumors of War
XVI. War!
XVII. Cappy Forces an Armistice
XVIII. The War is Renewed
XIX. Capp Seeks Peace
XX. Peace at Last!
XXI. Matt Peasley Meets a Talkative Stranger
XXII. Face to Face
XXIII. Business and--
XXIV. The Clean Up
XXV. Cappy Proves Himself a Despot
XXVI. Matt Peasley in Exile
XXVII. Promotion
XXVIII. Cappy Has a Heart
XXIX. Nature Takes Her Course
XXX. Mr. Skinner Hears a Lecture
XXXI. Internal Combustion
XXXII. Skinner Proposes--and Cappy Ricks Disposes
XXXIII. Cappy's Plans Demolished
XXXIV. A Gift From the Gods
XXXV. A Dirty Yankee Trick
XXXVI. Cappy Forbids the Bans--Yet
XXXVII. Matt Peasley Becomes a Shipowner
XXXVIII. Working Capital
XXXIX. Easy Money
XL. The Cataclysm
XLI. When Pain and Anguish Wring the Brow
XLII. Unexpected Developments
XLIII. Cappy Plans a Knock-out
XLIV. Skinner Develops into a Human Being
XLV. Cappy Pulls Off a Wedding
XLVI. A Ship Forgotten
XLVII. The Tail Goes with the Hide
XLVIII. Victory

CHAPTER I. MASTER OF MANY SHIPS AND SKIPPER OF NONE

A psychologist would have termed Alden P. Ricks an individualist, but
his associates in the wholesale lumber and shipping trade of the Pacific
Coast proclaimed him a character.

In his youth he had made one voyage round Cape Horn as a cabin boy, his
subsequent nautical experience having been confined to the presidency of
the Blue Star Navigation Company and occasional voyages as a first-cabin
passenger. Notwithstanding this apparent lack of salt-water wisdom,
however, his intimate knowledge of ships and the men who go down to the
sea in t