smiled quietly. "Jerry is my
handle, young sirs, just Jerry. About signing on, now. I've never put to
sea yet, young sirs, but what I've been entered shipshape and Bristol
fashion, and I'm not going to start wrong at this time o' life. I want
to be on the ship's articles as quartermaster, that's all--that's all. I
got my discharges all proper, and if we should lose an officer, I've got
a first officer's ticket. I don't want any wages, young sirs, but I want
to be signed on all shipshape. It'll make me feel a sight better. You'll
tell the cap'n that?"

"Why, sure!" returned Bob heartily. "And I'm glad to meet you, Jerry.
You'd better keep in mind that I'm Bob, or Holly--either one hits the
right spot--and I don't like that 'young sir' business."

"Nor me," put in the gray-eyed boy, stepping forward with his hand out.
"I'm plain Mart, without any Mister either, Jerry, and I'm glad to meet
up with you."

The three shook hands. Mart noted that old Jerry had a very strong chin
and a tight-lipped mouth, for all his gentle appearance, and his hands
were very gnarled and knotted. His dress was old and weatherstained, but
had nothing of the sailor in it. Mart had seen enough of sailors along
the waterfront, however, to know that clothes do not count in such
cases.

With a final duck of his head, Jerry Smith turned and shuffled away.

"Well, what d'you think o' that!" Bob stared at his chum as the
stoop-shouldered figure vanished up the companion. "Pirate! Say, do you
reckon he ever saw a pirate ship? I guess dad has things twisted about
him, eh?"

"I'm not so sure," returned Mart slowly, thinking of that firm chin and
knotted hand. "I'm not so sure, Holly. You can't go by what you read in
books, always. Sure, I know he's a nice old fellow, but he's a queer
fish just the same. And as for bein' a pirate, there's that man Morris,
who's workin' on the _Tribune_ now as city editor. He's as quiet and
nice as you ever see 'em, but they say he's been all kinds of things.
That shows you, Holly, that you can't go by looks."

"Anyhow, I guess he's reformed by now," stated Bob decisively. "And
pirating is out of date these days. He's only an interesting character,
as the books say."

"He sure is," agreed Mart promptly. "Say, Holly, we're going to have a
whopper of a time in the next month or so, ain't we?"

Bob grinned happily. "You're dead right, old boy! Say, it's noon--"

"By golly, that's right! When do we eat? I'm some empt