ver this knotty point when they were ushered into the
captain's room.

That worthy was leaning back in a rocking-chair with his feet perched
upon the mantelpiece and a large glass of rum arid water within reach of
his great leathery hand. Opposite him, in a similar chair and with a
similar glass, was no less an individual than our old acquaintance, Von
Baumser. As a mercantile clerk in the London office of a Hamburg firm
the German was thrown into contact with the shippers of the African
fleet, and had contracted a special alliance with the bibulous Miggs,
who was a social soul in his hours of relaxation.

"Come in, my hearties, come in!" he cried huskily. "Take a seat, Mr.
Dimsdale. And you, Sandy, can't you bring yourself to your berth
without being asked? You should know your moorings by this time.
This is my friend, Mr. Von Baumser from Eckermann's office."

"And dis, I think, is Mr. Dimsdale," said the German, shaking hands with
Tom. "I have heard my very goot vriend, Major Clutterbuck, speak of
your name, sir."

"Ah, the old major," Tom answered. "Of course, I remember him well."

"He is not so very old either," said Von Baumser, in a somewhat surly
voice. "He has been took by a very charming and entirely pleasant
woman, and they are about to be married before three months, the one to
the other. Let me tell you, sir, I, who have lived with him so long,
dat I have met no man for whom I have greater respect than for the
major, however much they give him pills at a club or other such
snobberies."

"Fill your glasses," Miggs broke in, pushing over the bottle of rum.
"There are weeds in that box--never paid duty, either the one or the
other. By the Lord, Sandy, a couple of days ago we hardly hoped ever to
be yarning here."

"It was rather beyond our prognostication, sir," said the mate, taking a
pull at his rum.

"It was that! A nasty sea on, Mr. Dimsdale, sir, and the old ship so
full o' water that she could not rise to it. They were making a clean
breach over us, and we lost nigh everything we could lose."

"I suppose you'll have her thoroughly repaired now?" Tom remarked.

Both the skipper and the mate laughed heartily at the observation.
"That wouldn't do, Sandy, would it?" said Miggs, shaking his head.
"We couldn't afford to have our screw cut down like that."

"Cut down! You don't mean to say you are paid in proportion to the
rottenness of the ships?"

"There ain't no use makin' a secr