have a few words to say."

Again he began, but this time was stopped by Nosey Murphy.

"Aw, shut your trap, Davis," the gangster snarled, "or I'll shut it for
you." He glanced up to me. "We want to go back to work, that's what we
want."

"Which is not the way to ask for it," I answered.

"Sir," he added hastily.

"That's better," I commented.

"Oh, my God, sir, don't let 'm come aft." Tom Spink muttered hurriedly
in my ear. "That'd be the end of all of us. And even if they didn't get
you an' the rest, they'd heave me over some dark night. They ain't never
goin' to forgive me, sir, for joinin' in with the afterguard."

I ignored the interruption and addressed the gangster.

"There's nothing like going to work when you want to as badly as you seem
to. Suppose all hands get sail on her just to show good intention."

"We'd like to eat first, sir," he objected.

"I'd like to see you setting sail, first," was my reply. "And you may as
well get it from me straight that what I like goes, aboard this ship."--I
almost said "hooker."

Nosey Murphy hesitated and looked to the Maltese Cockney for counsel. The
latter debated, as if gauging the measure of his weakness while he stared
aloft at the work involved. Finally he nodded.

"All right, sir," the gangster spoke up. "We'll do it . . . but can't
something be cookin' in the galley while we're doin' it?"

I shook my head.

"I didn't have that in mind, and I don't care to change my mind now. When
every sail is stretched and every yard braced, and all that mess of gear
cleared up, food for a good meal will be served out. You needn't bother
about the spanker nor the mizzen-braces. We'll make your work lighter by
that much."

In truth, as they climbed aloft they showed how miserably weak they were.
There were some too feeble to go aloft. Poor Sundry Buyers continually
pressed his abdomen as he toiled around the deck-capstans; and never was
Nancy's face quite so forlorn as when he obeyed the Maltese Cockney's
command and went up to loose the mizzen-skysail.

In passing, I must note one delicious miracle that was worked before our
eyes. They were hoisting the mizzen-upper-topsail-yard by means of one
of the patent deck-capstans. Although they had reversed the gear so as
to double the purchase, they were having a hard time of it. Lars
Jacobsen was limping on his twice-broken leg, and with him were Sundry
Buyers, Tony the Greek, Bombini, and Mulligan Ja