eutenant. "He will be likely to have
Mr. Flint with him when he opens the envelope."

"It will be difficult," replied Mulgrum, and Dave could imagine that he
saw him shake his head. "The captain has found me cleaning the brasses
on his door twice, and it will hardly do to be found at the door again."

"Isn't there any place in his cabin where you can conceal yourself?"
inquired Mr. Lillyworth.

"I don't know of any place, unless it is his state room; and the cabin
steward has been at work there almost all the time since we got under
way. Dave seems to be a sort of confidant of the captain," suggested
Mulgrum; and it looked as though the deaf mute had not held his tongue
and kept his ears open for nothing; but the steward could not understand
how he had got this idea into his head, for he had received his
instructions while the commander was at supper, and he was sure, as
he had thrown the door open several times, that the scullion was not
on the other side of it.

"A nigger for his confidant!" exclaimed the second lieutenant, as he
interpolated a little jaw for the benefit of the seamen and petty
officers within earshot of him. "What can we expect when a mere boy
is put in command of a steamer like this one?"

"I think you need not complain, Pawcett, for you are on board of this
vessel, and so am I, because she is under the command of a boy. But he
is a tremendous smart boy, and he is older than many men of double his
age," added Mulgrum.

Dave realized that the supernumerary was well informed in regard to
current history in connection with naval matters, and he was willing to
believe that he was quite as shrewd as the officer at his side.

"The boy is well enough, though he is abominably overrated, as you will
see before I have done with him," said Mr. Lillyworth contemptuously.
"It is galling for one who has seen some service to touch his cap to
this boy and call him captain."

"I hope you are not forgetting yourself, Pawcett--"

"Don't mention my name on board of this vessel, Hungerford," interposed
the officer.

"And you will not mention mine," added the scullion promptly. "We are
both careless in this matter, and we must do better. I think I ought to
caution you not to neglect any outside tokens of respect to the captain.
You can have your own opinions, but I think you do not treat him with
sufficient deference."

"Perhaps I don't, for it is not an easy thing to do," replied the second
lieutenant. "Bu