of captains."

Mr. Skinner turned pale. He started from his chair and made two steps
toward Cappy Ricks' office, firmly resolved to present his resignation
then and there. At the door, however, he thought better of it,
hesitated, returned to his desk and sat down again, for he had suddenly
remembered, and, remembering, discovered that Cappy Ricks had laid upon
him a burden that must be reckoned with--the burden of his own future.
He flushed and bit his lips; then, feeling Matt Peasley's eyes boring
into the small of his back, he turned and said:

"I have every reason to believe, Captain Peasley, that you are the right
man in the right place."

Matt advanced upon him and held out his hand.

"Mr. Ricks has always bragged that you could think quicker and act
quicker in an emergency than any man he ever knew. He's right, you can.
Suppose we bury that pick-handle, Mr. Skinner?"

Mr. Skinner's lips twitched in a wry smile, but he took Matt Peasley's
hand and wrung it heartily, not because he loved Matt Peasley or ever
would, but because he had a true appreciation of Abraham Lincoln's
philosophy to the effect that a house divided against itself must surely
fall. "I'm sure we'll get along famously together," he said.

"You know it," Matt answered heartily, and stepped back into Cappy's
office.

"Well," said Cappy, "that was mighty well done, Matt. Thank you. So you
think you'll quit the Sea Fox and be my port captain, eh?"

"I think so, sir."

"Well, I do not, Matt. The fact of the matter is, your business
education is now about to commence, and about two minutes ago I suddenly
decided that you might as well pay for it with your own money. I have
no doubt such a course will meet with the approval of your independent
spirit anyhow. You're a little too uppish yet, Matt. You must be
chastened, and the only way to chasten a man and make him humble is
to turn him loose to fight with the pack for a while. Consequently I'm
going to turn you loose, Matt; there are some wolves along California
Street that will take your twenty thousand away from you so fast that
you won't know it's going till it's gone. But the loss will do you a
heap of good--and I guess Florry can wait a while."

He paused and eyed Matt meditatively for fully a minute.

"And you kicked my barkentine ashore with the quick water from your
tug's propeller," he mused aloud. "Got her where you wanted her--and
Murphy didn't suspect! He laid it to the current!"