he value
of McGuffey in the engine room. He knew he could never be happy
with anybody else. "We'll complete the deal with the _Victor_,
ship a crew, get down to business, an' leave Gib to his codfish.
An' let's pay our bill an' get outer here. It's too high-toned
for me--an' expensive."

For two weeks Captain Scraggs and McGuffey saw no more of Mr.
Gibney and Neils Halvorsen. In the meantime, they had commenced
running the _Victor_ regularly up river, soliciting business in
opposition to the regular steamboat lines. While the _Victor_ was
running with light freights and consequently at a loss, the
prospect for ultimate good business was very bright and Scraggs
and McGuffey were not at all worried about the future.

Judge of their surprise, therefore, when one morning who should
appear at the door of Scraggs's cabin but Mr. Gibney.

"Mornin', Gib," began Scraggs cheerily. "I s'pose you been rolled
for your money as per usual, an' you're around lookin' for a job
as mate."

Mr. Gibney ignored this veiled insult. "Not yet, Scraggsy, I got
about five hundred tons o' freight to send up to Dunnigan's
Landin' an' I want a lump sum figger for doin' the job. We parted
friends an' for the sake o' old times I thought I'd give you a
chance to figger on the business."

"Thanky, Gib. I'll be glad to. Where's your freight an' what does
it consist of?"

"Agricultural stuff. It's crated, an' I deliver it here on the
steamer's dock within reach o' her tackles. No heavy pieces. Two
men can handle every piece easy."

"Turnin' farmer, Gib?"

"Thinkin' about it a little," the commodore admitted. "What's
your rate on this freight? It ain't perishable goods, so get down
to brass tacks."

"A dollar a ton," declared the greedy Scraggs, naming a figure
fully forty cents higher than he would have been willing to
accept. "Five hundred dollars for the lot."

"Suits me." The commodore nonchalantly handed Scraggs five
hundred dollars. "Gimme a receipt," he said.

So Captain Scraggs gave him a receipted freight bill and Mr.
Gibney departed. An hour later a barge was bunted alongside the
_Victor_ and Neils Halvorsen appeared in Scraggs's cabin to
inform him that the five hundred tons of freight was ready to be
taken aboard.

"All right, Neils. I'll put a gang to work right off." He came
out on deck, paused, tilted his nose, and sniffed. He was still
sniffing when McGuffey bounced up out of the engine room.

"Holy Sailor!" he shouted.