moment he was
back. "Captain Rufus Hamilton, he says."

The petulant expression on Grimshaw's face changed instantly to one of
pleasure.

"Bring him right in," he ordered.

Drew, thinking that Grimshaw would wish to see his friend alone, rose
to follow Winters.

"I suppose we'll put this off until after he's gone," he remarked.

But his employer motioned to him to remain.

"Stay right where you are," he directed. "Cap'n Rufe is one of the
best friends I have, and I'm glad he came jest now."

The door opened again, and Winters ushered in a powerfully built man
who seemed to be about fifty years of age. He had piercing blue eyes,
a straight nose with wide nostrils, and a square jaw, about which were
lines that spoke of decision and the habit of command. His face was
bronzed by exposure to the weather, and his brown hair was graying at
the temples. There was something open and sincere about the man that
caused Drew to like him at once.

The newcomer stepped briskly forward, and Tyke met him half way,
gripping his hand in the warmest kind of welcome.

"Well met, Cap'n!" cried Tyke. "I haven't seen you in a dog's age. I
was jest wondering the other day what had become of you. There's
nobody in the world I'd rather see. What good wind blew you to this
port?"

"I'm just as glad to see you, Tyke," replied the visitor, with equal
heartiness. "I've been in the China trade for the last few years, with
Frisco as my home port. You can be sure that if I'd been hailing from
New York I'd have been in to see you every time I came into the harbor."

Tyke introduced Drew to the newcomer, and then the two friends settled
down to an exchange of reminiscences that seemed sure to be prolonged
for the rest of the afternoon.

After a while Captain Hamilton leaned back to light a cigar, and in the
momentary nagging of conversation that ensued while he was getting it
to going well, his gaze fell on the open chest.

"What have you got here?" he asked with a smile. "Looks like a
sailor's dunnage."

"And that's jest what it is," answered Tyke, recalled to the work on
which he had been engaged when the captain's coming had interrupted.
"I declare! your visit put it clean out of my head. It's the box that
used to belong to Manuel, that old bo'sun of mine that I guess I've
told you about in some of my yarns. The one that was with me off
Borneo when I lost these two fingers."

"That run-in you had with the Malays?" retu