the bay, and sighed. "Oh, I'd give 'most anything to
go down and really get underneath the ocean! Where are the outfits,
Cap'n?"

"Boxed up in the hold, Judson. There's no chance of our using them till
after we get to Tringanu. Swanson knows a good deal about diving, and
Jerry Smith promised to pick up a couple of men who were used to it, so
we'll be all right there."

"Oh!" Mart suddenly sat up and squared around in his seat. "Am I under
Swanson's orders, Cap'n?"

"Nominally, yes, as a member of the crew. But in actual fact, no. Why?"

The boy's face was troubled, and he hesitated an instant.

"Nothing much," he said at last, his gray eyes suddenly hard and cold.
"Only, I had an argument with Swanson Friday, and by somethin' he said
yesterday I wondered if I was under him."

"I guess not!" cried Bob indignantly. "You're an officer, and you're
under no one but the captain--who is dad."

"That's right, Mart," nodded Captain Hollinger. "You take your orders
from me, and that's all. Hello, there's Swanson now!"

The boys looked up to see the burly mate coming along the dock. Without
heeding them, he crossed the gangplank and went forward, doubtless to
remove his "shore clothes," in order to prepare for the night's work.

Captain Hollinger had heard the message left by Jerry Smith, saying that
the old man could sign articles and draw wages if he liked. It looked to
Mart as though the old seaman was cranky and wanted to have things just
so, in which opinion Bob agreed, but as Jerry was to all intents a
partner in the expedition, it mattered little.

The sun was just going down, and the boys were looking for the last time
on the hills of San Francisco, when Swanson came along the deck and
touched his hat to the captain in a hesitant fashion. Mr. Hollinger, who
was no mere amateur sailor, nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Swanson? Mr. Peters come aboard yet?"

"Not yet, sir." Swanson hesitated again. "I--I wanted to ask you
something, sir, meanin' no offense. Yesterday mornin', sir, there was a
little round-shouldered man come aboard--gray hair, he had, and--"

"You mean old Jerry Smith?" asked Captain Hollinger. Somehow both he and
the boys always thought of the man as "Old Jerry."

"Yes, sir, that's him. If I might ask, sir, is he a-going to ship aboard
us?"

"Why, he was going as passenger, Mr. Swanson, but seems to have changed
his mind. Yes, he'll sign articles as quartermaster. Why, do you know
him?"

"No, sir, not