ucket of fresh water and a towel," Grief ordered, when he had
finished. "Two buckets and two towels," he added, as he surveyed his own
hands.

"You're a pretty one," he said to Pankburn. "You've spoiled everything.
I had the poison completely out of you. And now you are fairly reeking
with it. We've got to begin all over again. Mr. Albright! You know that
pile of old chain on the beach at the boat-landing. Find the owner, buy
it, and fetch it on board. There must be a hundred and fifty fathoms of
it. Pankburn! To-morrow morning you start in pounding the rust off of
it. When you've done that, you'll sandpaper it. Then you'll paint it.
And nothing else will you do till that chain is as smooth as new."

Aloysius Pankburn shook his head.

"I quit. Francis Island can go to hell for all of me. I'm done with your
slave-driving. Kindly put me ashore at once. I'm a white man. You can't
treat me this way."

"Mr. Carlsen, you will see that Mr. Pankburn remains on board."

"I'll have you broken for this!" Aloysius screamed. "You can't stop me."

"I can give you another licking," Grief answered. "And let me tell you
one thing, you besotted whelp, I'll keep on licking you as long as my
knuckles hold out or until you yearn to hammer chain rust. I've taken
you in hand, and I'm going to make a man out of you if I have to kill
you to do it. Now go below and change your clothes. Be ready to turn
to with a hammer this afternoon. Mr. Albright, get that chain aboard
pronto. Mr. Carlsen, send the boats ashore after it. Also, keep your eye
on Pankburn. If he shows signs of keeling over or going into the shakes,
give him a nip--a small one. He may need it after last night."

V

For the rest of the time the _Kittiwake_ lay in Apia Aloysius Pankburn
pounded chain rust. Ten hours a day he pounded. And on the long stretch
across to the Gilberts he still pounded.

Then came the sandpapering. One hundred and fifty fathoms is nine
hundred feet, and every link of all that length was smoothed and
polished as no link ever was before. And when the last link had received
its second coat of black paint, he declared himself.

"Come on with more dirty work," he told Grief. "I'll overhaul the other
chains if you say so. And you needn't worry about me any more. I'm not
going to take another drop. I'm going to train up. You got my proud
goat when you beat me, but let me tell you, you only got it temporarily.
Train! I'm going to train till I'm as