o. After I had held Williams over the rail I turned
to find him looking on, amused. And when the frightened darky had
taken himself, muttering threats, to the galley, Vail came over to me
and ran his hand down my arm.

"Where did you get it?" he asked.

"Oh, I've always had some muscle," I said. "I'm in bad shape now; just
getting over fever."

"Fever, eh? I thought it was jail. Look here."

He threw out his biceps for me to feel. It was a ball of iron under my
fingers. The man was as strong as an ox. He smiled at my surprise,
and, after looking to see that no one was in sight, offered to mix me a
highball from a decanter and siphon on a table.

I refused.

It was his turn to be surprised.

"I gave it up when I was in train--in the hospital," I corrected
myself. "I find I don't miss it."

He eyed me with some curiosity over his glass, and, sauntering away,
left me to my work of folding rugs. But when I had finished, and was
chalking the deck for shuffle-board, he joined me again, dropping his
voice, for the women had come up by that time and were breakfasting on
the lee side of the after house.

"Have you any idea, Leslie, how much whiskey there is on board?"

"Williams has considerable, I believe. I don't think there is any in
the forward house. The captain is a teetotaler."

"I see. When these decanters go back, Williams takes charge of them?"

"Yes. He locks them away."

He dropped his voice still lower.

"Empty them, Leslie," he said. "Do you understand? Throw what is left
overboard. And, if you get a chance at Williams's key, pitch a dozen
or two quarts overboard."

"And be put in irons!"

"Not necessarily. I think you understand me. I don't trust Williams.
In a week we could have this boat fairly dry."

"There is a great deal of wine."

He scowled. "Damn Williams, anyhow! His instructions were--but never
mind about that. Get rid of the whiskey."

Turner coming up the companionway at that moment, Vail left me. I had
understood him perfectly. It was common talk in the forecastle that
Turner was drinking hard, and that, in fact, the cruise had been
arranged by his family in the hope that, away from his clubs; he would
alter his habits--a fallacy, of course. Taken away from his customary
daily round, given idle days on a summer sea, and aided by Williams,
the butler, he was drinking his head off.

Early as it was, he was somewhat the worse for it that morning. He made