, hot and heavy, before all hands, to-morrow;
and then I'll turn sulky, and start a good growl, and perhaps then
they'll say something to me."

"But I don't understand you, Joe," I protested. "The men are the most
quiet, willing, contented, well-behaved set of fellows it has ever been
my pleasure to sail with; and do you mean to tell me that they are
plotting mischief among themselves?"

"Well, sir, they're plottin' _something_, that's certain; and if it
ain't mischief, why do they keep me out of it?" argued Joe.

"How do you know--or rather, what makes you suppose they are plotting?"
I asked.

"Why, they're everlastin'ly whispering together," was the reply. "If
you'll only take notice, sir, you'll see that there's never a minute,
day nor night, but what two or three of 'em has got their heads
together, palaverin'. And if ever I goes near and makes a show of
chimin' in, the talk's stopped at once and changed to something else.
And away along in the first dog-watch, for an hour or so, the steward
'll come for'ard, and then they'll all be as thick as thieves together,
instead of turnin' in and gettin' their sleep, as honest men should. If
it's our eight hours out, our chaps slinks off down into the fo'c's'le
out o' my way; and if it's our eight hours _in_, the whole watch except
me 'll be on deck until pretty nigh on to four bells. Pretends, they
do, that the fo'c's'le's so hot they can't sleep. _I_ don't find it too
hot to sleep."

"And how do they behave to you?" I asked.

"Oh, as to that," conceded Joe, "I haven't got no fault to find.
They're all civil and friendly enough, exceptin' cookie; _he_ won't have
a word to say to me, or come anigh me if he can help it; and, whatever
it is, it's my belief that he's at the bottom of it. But the rest of
'em are all right, only they won't have me in with 'em durin' their
confabs."

"Pshaw! my good fellow," I exclaimed, "you have found a mare's nest.
Their `confabs,' as you call them, relate to nothing worse than their
past experiences at the mines, I'll be bound. And the reason why they
will not speak about them to you is, most probably, because they think
you would not be interested in them."

"Well, sir, maybe you're right," remarked Joe, "but I don't believe you
are, all the same, if you'll excuse my sayin' so. There's too much
secrecy for everything to be quite right. And, if you don't mind, I
should like to try that little experiment I spoke about just