napped Captain Hamilton.

"He surely has," agreed Tyke. "But have you thought that perhaps
that's jest what he wants you to do?"

The captain sat down heavily.

"Get it off your chest, Tyke," he said. "Tell me what you mean."

"I mean jest this," said Tyke. "Often there's trouble in the wind that
never comes to anything because the feller that's brewing it don't git
a chance to start it. He fiddles 'round waiting for an opening; but if
he don't find it the trouble jest dies a natural death.

"Now, this Ditty, _I_ think, is looking for an opening. As far as his
letting his own boat's crew come on board when you had told him to keep
them on shore for the day is concerned, that can be overlooked. You
can't blame the men for being scared, an' any mate might be excused for
using his own judgment under those conditions.

"But his not keeping your boat's crew waiting for you, even if they
stayed a little away from the shore, was rank disrespect. He knew you
would take it so. He knew it would weaken your authority with the
crew. An' he expects you'll call him down for it. Isn't that so?"

"Of course it is," agreed Captain Hamilton.

"Well then," pursued Tyke, "if he did that deliberately, expecting
you'd rake him fore and aft for it, it shows that he wants you to start
something, don't it? An' my principle in a fight is to find out what
the other feller wants and then not do it. He wants to provoke you.
Don't let yourself be provoked or you'll play right into his hands."

"I might as well make him captain of the ship and be done with it,"
cried Captain Hamilton bitterly. "I've never let a man get away with
anything like that yet."

"An' we won't let this feller git away with it for long," answered
Tyke. "We'll give him a trimming he'll never forgit. But we'll choose
our own time for it, an' that time ain't now. Wait till we've found
the treasure an' got it safe on board. Then, my mighty! if he starts
anything, put him an' his gang ashore an' sail without 'em."

"You think, then, he wants me to knock the chip off his shoulder?"
mused the captain.

"Exactly," replied Tyke. "An' if you don't, he may be so flabbergasted
that before he cooks up anything new we'll have the whip hand of him."

"Well, I'll do as you say, though it sure does go against the grain."

Tyke's recipe worked; for when Ditty sauntered to the poop a little
later to receive the rebuke which he expected and which he was prepared