awser. The other tug will
put a line aboard you."

But Mr. Gibney was now master of the situation. He had a good
hemp hawser stretching between him and salvation and until he
should be hauled off he had no intention of slipping that cable.
"Nothin' doin'," he answered. "We're hard an' fast, I tell you,
and I'll take no chances. It's you or both of you, but I'll not
cast off this hawser. If you want to let go, cast the hawser off
at your end." Sotto voce he remarked to Scraggs: "I see him
slippin' a three hundred dollar hawser, eh, Scraggsy, old
stick-in-the-mud?"

"But I promised Flaherty I'd let you alone," pleaded Hicks.

"What do you think you have your string fast to, anyhow? A bay
scow? If you fellows endanger my ship bickerin' over the salvage
I'll have you before the Inspectors on charges as sure as God
made little apples. I got sixty witnesses here to back up my
charges, too."

"You hear him, Jack?" howled Hicks.

"Wouldn't that swab Flaherty drive you to drink," Gibney
complained. "Trumpin' his partner's ace just for the glory an'
profit o' gettin' ahead of him?" Aloud he addressed the invisible
Flaherty: "Take it or leave it, brother Flaherty."

"I'll take it," Flaherty responded promptly.

Twenty minutes later, after much backing and swearing and heaving
of lines the _Bodega's_ hawser was finally put board the
_Maggie_. Mr. Gibney judged it would be safe now to fasten this
line to the towing bitts.

Suddenly, Captain Scraggs remembered there was no one on duty in
the _Maggie's_ engine room. With a half sob, he slid down the
greasy ladder, tore open the furnace doors and commenced
shovelling in coal with a recklessness that bordered on insanity.
When the indicator showed eighty pounds of steam he came up on
deck and discovered Mr. Gibney walking solemnly round and round
the little capstan up forward. It was creaking and groaning
dismally. Captain Scraggs thrust his engine room torch above his
head to light the scene and gazed upon his navigating officer in
blank amazement.

"What foolishness is this, Gib?" he demanded. "Are you clean
daffy, doin' a barn dance around that rusty capstan, makin' a
noise fit to frighten the fish?"

"Not much," came the laconic reply. "I'm a smart man. I'm raisin'
both anchors."

"Well, all I got to remark is that it takes a smart man to raise
both anchors when we only got one anchor to our blessed name. An'
with that anchor safe on the fo'castle head, I, for one,