e cast into the sea with a free hand what represented the
savings of a lifetime, provision for his wife and children, and an
old-age pension for himself.

The _Grosser Carl_ had carried thirty first-class passengers, and these
were crammed into the _Flamingo's_ slender cabin accommodation, filling
it to overflowing. The emigrants--Austrians, Bohemians, wild Poles,
filthy, crawling Russian Jews, bestial Armenians, human _debris_ which
even soldier-coveting Middle Europe rejected--these were herded down
into the holds, as rich cargo was dug out by the straining winches, and
given to the thankless sea to make space for them.

"Kindly walk up," said Kettle, with bitter hospitality, as fresh flocks
of them were heaved up over the bulwarks. "Don't hesitate to grumble if
the accommodation isn't exactly to your liking. We're most pleased to
strike out cargo to provide you with an elegant parlor, and what's left
I'm sure you'll be able to sit on and spoil. Oh, you filthy, long-haired
cattle! Did none of you ever wash?"

Fiercely the _Grosser Carl_ burned to the fanning of the gale, and like
furies worked the men in the boats. The _Grosser Carl's_ own boat joined
the other two, once the ferrying was well under way. She had hung
alongside after Kettle cast off her line, with her people madly
clamoring to be taken on board; but as all they received for their pains
was abuse and coal-lumps--mostly, by the way, from their own
fellow-countrymen, who made up the majority of the _Flamingo's_
crew--they were presently driven to help in the salving work through
sheer scare at being left behind to drown unless they carried out the
fierce little English Captain's orders.

The _Flamingo's_ chief mate oversaw the dangerous ferrying, and though
every soul that was transshipped might be said to have had ten narrow
escapes in transit over that piece of tossing water, luck and good
seamanship carried the day, and none was lost. And on the _Grosser Carl_
the second mate, a stronger man, brazenly took entire command, and
commended to the nether gods all who suggested ousting him from that
position. "I don't care a red what your official post was on this ship
before I came," said the second mate to several indignant officers. "You
should have held on to it when you had it. I've never been a skipper
before, but I'm skipper here now by sheer right of conquest, and I'm
going to stay on at that till the blooming old ship's burnt out. If you
bother m