eamanship. After a few days Carlsen, save for taking noon
observations with the skipper and working out the reckoning, left his
duties largely to Rainey, who was glad enough for the experience. A
sailor named Hansen was promoted to acting-quartermaster, and relieved
Rainey. Carlsen spent most of his time attendant on the girl or chatting
with the hunters, with whom he soon appeared on terms of intimacy.

The hunters esteemed themselves above the sailors, as they were, in
intelligence and earning capacity. The forecastlemen acted, on occasion,
as boat-steerers and rowers for the hunters, each of whom had his own
boat from which to shoot the cruising seals.

There were six hunters and twelve sailors, outside of a general
roustabout and butt named "Sandy," who cleaned up the forecastle and the
hunters' quarters, where they messed apart, and helped Tamada, the cook,
in the galley with his pots and dishes. But now there was no work in
prospect for the hunters, and they lounged on deck or in the 'midship
quarters, spinning yarns or playing poker. They were after gold this
trip, not seals.

"'Cordin' to the agreement," Lund said to Rainey, "the gold's to be
split into a hundred shares. One for each sailorman, an' they chip in
for the boy. Two for the hunters, two for the cook, four for Bergstrom,
the first mate, who died at sea. Twenty for 'ship's share.' Fifty shares
to be split between Simms an' me."

"What's the 'ship's share'?" asked Rainey.

"Represents capital investment. Matter of fact, it belongs to the gal,"
said Lund. "Simms gave her the _Karluk_. It's in her name with the
insurance."

"Then he and his daughter get forty-five shares, and you only
twenty-five?"

"You got it right," grinned Lund. "Simms is no philanthropist. It wa'n't
so easy for me to git enny one to go in with me, son. I ain't the first
man to come trailin' in with news of a strike. An' I had nothin' to show
for it. Not even a color of gold. Nothin' but the word of a dead Aleut,
my own jedgment, an' my own sight of an island I never landed on. Matter
of fact, Honest Simms was the only one who didn't laff at me outright.
It was on'y his bad luck made him try a chance at gold 'stead of keepin'
after pelts.

"An' we had a hard an' tight agreement drawn up on paper, signed,
witnessed an' recorded. 'Course it holds him as well as it holds me, but
he gits the long end of _that_ stick. W'en I read, or got it read to me,
in the Seattle _News-Courie