nged to her, and
eight the Greeks whom the captain had so suddenly shipped at the last
moment.

"It's a good job that Cap'en Harding didn't get any more of those
blessed Greeks aboard: they're almost equal to us now, man for man,"
said Tom to Charley, who on this first night of their being at sea after
so long a detention in port was performing an act of not altogether
disinterested friendship in sharing the first watch on deck of the
newly-promoted "second mate," as he would persist in addressing Tom.

"Yes, sir; I think you are about right, sir," replied Charley, with a
mock deference, which made Tom grin in spite of his endeavours to
preserve a dignified composure. "Is there anything else, sir, you'd
like me to say, sir?"

"Only, that I'll kick you in the lee scuppers if you call me `sir'
again. But, Charley, joking aside, I don't like us having all those
Greeks here, and we so short-handed too."

"Don't you see that that is the precise reason why they are here, most
sapient of second officers? if we hadn't been short-handed the cap'en
wouldn't have shipped them."

"Yes, yes, I know that," replied the other shortly. "You don't seem to
follow me, Charley, really. What I meant to point out was, that there
are only twelve of us belonging to the ship on whom we could rely--
indeed only eleven, for that matter, as I don't count on Tompkins; a
bully like him would be sure to show the white-feather in a scrimmage--
while these Greek chaps muster eight strong, all of them pretty biggish
men, too, and all armed with them beastly long knives of theirs, which
I've no doubt they know how to use."

"Bless you, Tom, Cap'en Harding would be a match for half-a-dozen of
them with his revolver; and you and I would be able to master the other
two, without calling for aid on any of the foremast hands, or relying on
your chum Tompkins. How fond you're of him, Tom!"

"Hang Tompkins, and you too, Charley! You can't be serious for a
moment!"

"Oh yes I can, Tom; and I will be, now! I tell you what, old chap, your
sudden promotion has disagreed with you, and you are trying to
manufacture a mountain out of a molehill. Those Greeks are not such
fools to attack us unless they gained over the rest of the crew on their
side; and you know that's impossible; for every Englishman forward now
in the foc's'le I'd stake my life on; and so would you, Tom, as they've
shipped with old Harding every voyage he has sailed since he's been
c