The captain returned at noon on Tuesday, and at two o'clock the last
bundle of shingles was out of the Quickstep, for the mate had worked
overtime Monday night in order that they might finish discharging early
enough on Tuesday afternoon to drop down to Oleum and take on fuel oil
for the next voyage. This schedule would bring them to the dock at
San Francisco about six o'clock, where they would take on stores and
passengers and sail at seven for Eureka, on Humboldt Bay, where they
would arrive Wednesday night. On Thursday they would commence taking on
cargo, but since they had to take shingles from several mills round the
bay, they were bound to be delayed waiting for tides to get in and
out, and in all probability they would not be loaded and at sea until
Saturday night, which would give them Sunday at sea--and in the lumber
trade on the Pacific Coast the only profitable way to spend Sunday is
to spend it at sea. To spend it in port is a day lost, with the crew
loafing and drawing full pay for it. The mate explained to Matt that
Captain Kjellin would drive them hard to maintain this schedule, for
he prized his job as master of the Quickstep, and had a reputation for
speed and efficiency with his owners which he was anxious to maintain.

Despite their best efforts, however, the vessel was doomed to fall
behind her schedule. At Oleum they found the oil dock lined with vessels
taking on fuel, and in consequence were forced to wait two hours for a
berth; seeing which the captain went ashore and telephoned his owners
that he would be unable to get to the dock in San Francisco until about
eight o'clock. Consequently, Mr. Skinner, realizing that the passengers
their agent had booked for the Quickstep, by reason of the cut-rates
prevailing on lumber steamers, would not wait on the dock until the
Quickstep should arrive, instructed the captain to lay over in San
Francisco all night and put to sea at nine o'clock Wednesday morning.
In the meantime he said he would send a clerk down to the dock to notify
the waiting passengers of the unavoidable change in schedule.

Promptly at eight o'clock Wednesday morning the Quickstep got away from
the dock. The minute she was fairly out the Golden Gate, however, she
poked her nose into a stiff nor'west gale; and as she was bound north
and was empty, this gale, catching her on the port counter, caused her
to roll and pitch excessively, and cut her customary speed of ten
miles an hour dow