f-war, what with your flush decks and
them spars. Well, gen'lemen all, here's wishing you a merry Christmas
and a happy New Year," he added, and lurched against a stay.

"Why, you're never the pilot?" exclaimed Wicks, studying him with a
profound disfavour. "You've never taken a ship in--don't tell me!"

"Well, I should guess I have," returned the pilot. "I'm Captain Dobbs, I
am; and when I take charge, the captain of that ship can go below and
shave."

"But, man alive! you're drunk, man!" cried the captain.

"Drunk!" repeated Dobbs. "You can't have seen much life if you call me
drunk. I'm only just beginning. Come night, I won't say; I guess I'll be
properly full by then. But now I'm the soberest man in all Big Muggin."

"It won't do," retorted Wicks. "Not for Joseph, sir. I can't have you
piling up my schooner."

"All right," said Dobbs, "lay and rot where you are, or take and go in
and pile her up for yourself like the captain of the _Leslie_. That's
business, I guess; grudged me twenty dollars' pilotage, and lost twenty
thousand in trade and a brand-new schooner; ripped the keel right off of
her, and she went down in the inside of four minutes, and lies in twenty
fathom, trade and all."

"What's all this?" cried Wicks. "Trade? What vessel was this _Leslie_,
anyhow?"

"Consigned to Cohen and Co., from 'Frisco," returned the pilot, "and
badly wanted. There's a barque inside filling up for Hamburg--you see
her spars over there; and there's two more ships due, all the way from
Germany, one in two months, they say, and one in three; Cohen and Co.'s
agent (that's Mr. Topelius) has taken and lain down with the jaundice on
the strength of it. I guess most people would, in his shoes; no trade,
no copra, and twenty hundred ton of shipping due. If you've any copra on
board, cap'n, here's your chance. Topelius will buy, gold down, and give
three cents. It's all found money to him, the way it is, whatever he
pays for it. And that's what come of going back on the pilot."

"Excuse me one moment, Captain Dobbs. I wish to speak with my mate,"
said the captain, whose face had begun to shine and his eyes to sparkle.

"Please yourself," replied the pilot.--"You couldn't think of offering a
man a nip, could you? just to brace him up. This kind of thing looks
damned inhospitable, and gives a schooner a bad name."

"I'll talk about that after the anchor's down," returned Wicks, and he
drew Carthew forward.--"I say," he whisper