son. In the doorway to the main cabin, dressed in
pajamas and a bathrobe, Vail was watching the scene.

"I told you last night, Mr. Turner," the captain said, banging the
table with his fist, "I won't have you interfering with my officers, or
with my ship. That man's on duty, and he's drunk."

"Your ship!" Turner sneered thickly. "It's my ship, and I--I discharge
you."

He got to his feet, holding to the table. "Mr. Singleton--hic--from
now on you're captain. Captain Singleton! How--how d'ye like it?"

Mr. Vail came forward, the only cool one of the four.

"Don't be a fool, Marsh," he protested. "Come to bed. The captain's
right."

Turner turned his pale-blue eyes on Vail, and they were as full of
danger as a snake's. "You go to hell!" he said. "Singleton, you're
the captain, d'ye hear? If Rich--if Richardson gets funny, put him--in
irons."

Singleton stood up, with a sort of swagger. He wes less intoxicated
than Turner, but ugly enough. He faced the captain with a leer.

"Sorry, old fellow," he said, "but you heard what Turner said!"

The captain drew a deep breath. Then, without any warning, he leaned
across the table and shot out his clenched fist. It took the mate on
the point of the chin, and he folded up in a heap on the floor.

"Good old boy!" muttered Burns, beside me. "Good old boy!"

Turner picked up a bottle from the table, and made the same
incoordinate pass with it at the captain as he had at me the morning
before with his magazine. The captain did not move. He was a big man,
and he folded his arms with their hairy wrists across his chest.

"Mr. Turner," he said, "while we are on the sea I am in command here.
You know that well enough. You are drunk to-night; in the morning you
will be sober; and I want you to remember what I am going to say. If
you interfere again--with--me--or--my
officers--I--shall--put--you--in--irons."

He started for the after companionway, and Burns and I hurried forward
out of his way, Burns to the lookout, I to make the round of the after
house and bring up, safe from detection, by the wheel again. The mate
was in a chair, looking sick and dazed, and Turner and Vail were
confronting each other.

"You know that is a lie," Vail was saying. "She is faithful to you, as
far as I know, although I'm damned if I know why." He turned to the
mate roughly: "Better get out in the air."

Once again I left my window to avoid discovery. The mate, walking
sl