rest to date. An' don't tell me that note's
outlawed, or I'll feed you to the fishes."

Captain Scraggs looked crestfallen, but produced the money.

CHAPTER XX

"Well, Scraggsy, old hunks, this is pleasant, ain't it?" said Mr.
Gibney, and spat on the deck of the _Maggie II_.

"Right-o," replied Captain Scraggs cheerily, "though when I was a
young feller and first went to sea, it wasn't considered no
pleasantry to spit on a nice clean deck. You might cut that out,
Gib. It's vulgar."

"Passin' over the fact, Scraggs, that you ain't got no call to jerk
me up on sea ettycat, more particular since I'm the master and
managin' owner of this here schooner, I'm free to confess, Scraggsy,
that your observation does you credit. I just did that to see if you
was goin' to take as big an interest in the new _Maggie_ as you did
in the old _Maggie_, and the fact that you object to me expectoratin'
on the deck proves to me that you're leavin' behind you all them bay
scow tendencies of the green-pea trade. It leads me to believe that
you'll rise to high rank and distinction in the Colombian navy. Your
fin, Scraggsy. Expectoratin' on the decks is barred, and the _Maggie
II_ goes under navy discipline from now on. Am I right?"

"Right as a right whale," said Captain Scraggs. "And now that
you've given that old mate of mine the course, and we've
temporarily plugged up the holes in this here Mexican gunboat,
and everything points to a safe and profitable voyage from now
on, suppose you delegate me as a committee of one to brew a
scuttle of grog, after which the syndicate holds a meetin' and
lays out a course for its future conduct. There's a few questions
of rank and privileges that ought to be settled once for all, so
there can't be no come-back."

"The point is well taken and it is so ordered," said Mr. Gibney, who
had once held office in Harbour 15, Masters and Pilots Association
of America, and knew a fragment or two of parliamentary law. "Rustle
up the grog, call McGuffey up out of the engine room, and we'll hold
the meetin'."

Twenty minutes later Scraggs came on deck to announce the
successful concoction of a kettle of whisky punch; whereupon the
three adventurers went below and sat down at the cabin table for
a conference.

"I move that Gib be appointed president of the syndicate," said
Captain Scraggs.

"Second the motion," rumbled McGuffey.

"The motion's carried," said Mr. Gibney, and banged the table
with