the captain worn a front more menacing. It was supposed by all that some
misdeed had been discovered, and some surprising punishment was to be
announced.

"See here, you!" he threw at them over his shoulder as he walked the
deck. "Mr. Dodd here is going to offer a reward to the first man who
strikes the opium in that wreck. There's two ways of making a donkey
go--both good, I guess: the one's kicks and the other's carrots. Mr.
Dodd's going to try the carrots. Well, my sons"--and here he faced the
men for the first time with his hands behind him--"if that opium's not
found in five days you can come to me for the kicks."

He nodded to the present narrator, who took up the tale. "Here is what I
propose, men," said I: "I put up one hundred and fifty dollars. If any
man can lay hands on the stuff right away, and off his own club, he
shall have the hundred and fifty down. If any one can put us on the
scent of where to look, he shall have a hundred and twenty-five, and the
balance shall be for the lucky one who actually picks it up. We'll call
it the Pinkerton Stakes, captain," I added, with a smile.

"Call it the Grand Combination Sweep, then," cries he. "For I go you
better.--Look here, men, I make up this jack-pot to two hundred and
fifty dollars, American gold coin."

"Thank you, Captain Nares," said I; "that was handsomely done."

"It was kindly meant," he returned.

The offer was not made in vain; the hands had scarce yet realised the
magnitude of the reward, they had scarce begun to buzz aloud in the
extremity of hope and wonder, ere the Chinese cook stepped forward with
gracious gestures and explanatory smiles.

"Captain," he began, "I serv-um two year Melican navy; serv-um six year
mail-boat steward. Savvy plenty."

"Oho!" cried Nares, "you savvy plenty, do you? (Beggar's seen this trick
in the mail-boat, I guess.) Well, why you no savvy a little sooner,
sonny?"

"I think bimeby make-um reward," replied the cook, with smiling dignity.

"Well, you can't say fairer than that," the captain admitted; "and now
the reward's offered you'll talk? Speak up then. Suppose you speak true
you get reward. See?"

"I think long time," replied the Chinaman. "See plenty litty mat lice;
too muchy plenty litty mat lice; sixty ton litty mat lice. I think
all-e-time perhaps plenty opium plenty litty mat lice."

"Well, Mr. Dodd, how does that strike you?" asked the captain. "He may
be right, he may be wrong. He's likely to be