ter with cooky?" demanded Tunis briskly.

"The dratted Portygee's gone off to Paulmouth. He left word that he
couldn't sail with us this trip."

"Then he'll never sail on the _Seamew_ again," declared the skipper
grimly.

"And _that_ won't bother him none," said the boatswain gloomily.

"I'll get breakfast for all hands," said Tunis. "I'm not above that.
Where are the hands?"

"As far as I know, Cap'n Tunis, they are where Johnny Lark is.
Haven't shown up, and don't mean to," said Horry doggedly.

Tunis Latham cursed his delinquent crew soundly. The rage which
flamed into his eyes, added to the pallor of his face, made an ugly
mask indeed. It was not often that he gave way to such an outburst,
but Horry had seen the same deadly anger displayed on occasion by
Captain Randall Latham.

"Where's Mr. Chapin?"

"He was here before you, Cap'n Tunis. He's gone up to town to see if
he can drum up some hands."

"Where's 'Rion?"

"He says he'll be here by the time you get ready to wheel the stuff
aboard." And the old man pointed with his pipe-stem toward the open
door of the shed.

"Ha!" ejaculated Tunis. "Feared I'd set him to work, eh? Well,
they're all dogs together--the whole litter of 'em. I'll make the
coffee. Tell me when Mr. Chapin comes. I suppose we can hire enough
hands to get the freight aboard."

"But we can't work the schooner with three men, Cap'n Tunis; nor
yet with four."

"Don't I know that? I'll get a crew if I have to shanghai them,"
promised Tunis grimly.

Mason Chapin came along with half a dozen fellows after a while. One
was a negro who could cook. But there was no breakfast worthy of the
name served aboard the _Seamew_ that morning. They were late already
in getting to work.

It was the middle of the forenoon before the schooner left port.
There was a crew, such as it was. But Mason Chapin had been obliged
to promise them extra pay to get them aboard the schooner at all.

When 'Rion Latham slipped aboard finally, half the loading of the
cargo had been accomplished. Tunis himself was keeping tally. The
skipper beckoned his cousin to him.

"'Rion," he said, "you certainly are about as useless a fellow as I
ever had anything to do with. These Portygees who have left me in
the lurch have some excuse for their actions. They are ignorant and
superstitious. You know mighty well that the stuff you have been
repeating about the schooner being cursed is nothing but lies and
old-women's gossi