“Well，then，threecheersforthecaptain。”proposedTommy。
ButWicksheldupashakinghand。“Notthateither，boys。”hepleaded。“Thinkoftheotherbuffer，andlethimdowneasy。IfI’mlikethis，justfancywhatTopeliusis！Ifheheardussingingout，he’dhavethestaggers。”
Asamatteroffact，Topeliusacceptedhisdefeatwithagoodgrace；butthecrewofthewreckedLeslie，whowereinthesameemploymentandloyaltotheirfirm，tookthethingmorebitterly。Roughwordsanduglylookswerecommon。OnceeventheyhootedCaptainWicksfromthesaloonverandah；theCurrencyLassesdrewoutontheotherside；forsomeminutestherehadliketohavebeenabattleinButaritari；andthoughtheoccasionpassedoffwithoutblows，itleftoneithersideanincreaseofill-feeling。
Nosuchsmallmattercouldaffectthehappinessofthesuccessfultraders。Fivedaysmoretheshiplayinthelagoon，withlittleemploymentforanyonebutTommyandthecaptain，forTopelius’snativesdischargedcargoandbroughtballast；thetimepassedlikeapleasantdream；theadventurerssatuphalfthenightdebatingandpraisingtheirgoodfortune，orstrayedbydayinthenarrowisle，gapinglikeCockneytourists；andonthefirstofthenewyear，theCurrencyLassweighedanchorforthesecondtimeandsetsailfor’Frisco，attendedbythesamefineweatherandgoodluck。Shecrossedthedoldrumswithbutsmalldelay；onawindandinballastofbrokencoral，sheoutdidexpectations；and，whataddedtothehappinessoftheship’scompany，thesmallamountofworkthatfellonthemtodo，wasnowlessenedbythepresenceofanotherhand。ThiswastheboatswainoftheLeslie；hehadbeenonbadtermswithhisowncaptain，hadalreadyspenthiswagesinthesaloonsofButaritari，hadweariedoftheplace，andwhileallhisshipmatescoldlyrefusedtosetfootonboardtheCurrencyLass，hehadofferedtoworkhispassagetothecoast。HewasanorthofIrelandman，betweenScotchandIrish，rough，loud，humorous，andemotional，notwithoutsterlingqualities，andanexpertandcarefulsailor。Hisframeofmindwasdifferentindeedfromthatofhisnewshipmates；insteadofmakinganunexpectedfortune，hehadlostaberth；andhewasbesidesdisgustedwiththerations，andreallyappalledattheconditionoftheschooner。Astateroomdoorhadstuck，thefirstdayatsea，andMac(astheycalledhim)laidhisstrengthtoitandpluckeditfromthehinges。
“Glory！”saidhe，“thisship’srotten。”
“Ibelieveyou，myboy。”saidCaptainWicks。
Thenextdaythesailorwasobservedwithhisnosealoft。
“Don’tyougetlookingatthesesticks。”thecaptainsaid，“oryou’llhaveafitandfalloverboard。”
Macturnedtowardsthespeakerwithratherawildeye。“Why，Iseewhatlookslikeapatchofdryrotupyonder，thatIbetI
couldstickmyfistinto。”saidhe。
“Looksasifafellowcouldstickhisheadintoit，don’tit？”
returnedWicks。“Butthere’snogoodpryingintothingsthatcan’tbemended。”
“IthinkIwasaCurrencyAsstocomeonboardofher！”
reflectedMac。
“Well，Ineversaidshewasseaworthy。”repliedthecaptain：“I
onlysaidshecouldshowherbloomingheelstoanythingafloat。
Andbesides，Idon’tknowthatit’sdryrot；Ikindofsometimeshopeitisn’t。Here；turntoandheavethelog；that’llcheeryouup。”
“Well，there’snodenyingit，you’reaholycaptain。”saidMac。
Andfromthatdayon，hemadebuttheonereferencetotheship’scondition；andthatwaswheneverTommydrewuponhiscellar。“Here’stothejunktrade！”hewouldsay，asheheldouthiscanofsherry。
“Whydoyoualwayssaythat？”askedTommy。
“Ihadanuncleinthebusiness。”repliedMac，andlaunchedatonceintoayarn，inwhichanincrediblenumberofthecharacterswere“laidoutasniceasyouwouldwanttosee。”
andtheoathsmadeupabouttwo-fifthsofeveryconversation。
Onlyoncehegavethematasteofhisviolence；hetalkedofit，indeed，often；“I’mratheravoilentman。”hewouldsay，notwithoutpride；butthiswastheonlyspecimen。Ofasudden，heturnedonHemsteadintheship’swaist，knockedhimagainsttheforesailboom，thenknockedhimunderit，andhadsethimupandknockedhimdownoncemore，beforeanyonehaddrawnabreath。
“Here！Belaythat！”roaredWicks，leapingtohisfeet。“Iwon’thavenoneofthis。”
Macturnedtothecaptainwithreadycivility。“Ionlywanttolearnhimmanners。”saidhe。“HetookandcalledmeIrishman。”
“Didhe？”saidWicks。“O，that’sadifferentstory！Whatmadeyoudoit，youtomfool？Youain’tbigenoughtocallanymanthat。”
“Ididn’tcallhimit。”splutteredHemstead，throughhisbloodandtears。“Ionlymentioned-likehewas。”
“Well，let’shavenomoreofit。”saidWicks。
“ButyouAREIrish，ain’tyou？”Carthewaskedofhisnewshipmateshortlyafter。
“Imaybe。”repliedMac，“butI’llallownoSydneyducktocallmeso。No。”headded，withasuddenheatedcountenance，“noranyBritisherthatwalks！Why，lookhere。”hewenton，“you’reayoungswell，aren’tyou？SupposeIcalledyouthat！”’I’llshowyou，’youwouldsay，andturntoandtakeitoutofmestraight。”
Onthe28thofJanuary，wheninlat。27degrees20’N。，long。
177degreesW。，thewindchoppedsuddenlyintothewest，notverystrong，butpuffyandwithflawsofrain。Thecaptain，eagerforeasting，madeafairwindofitandguyedtheboomsoutwingandwing。ItwasTommy’strickatthewheel，andasitwaswithinhalfanhouroftherelief(seventhirtyinthemorning)，thecaptainjudgeditnotworthwhiletochangehim。
Thepuffswereheavybutshort；therewasnothingtobecalledasquall，nodangertotheship，andscarcemorethanusualtothedoubtfulspars。Allhandswereondeckintheiroilskins，expectingbreakfast；thegalleysmoked，theshipsmeltofcoffee，allwereingoodhumourtobespeedingeastwardafullnine；whentherottenforesailtoresuddenlybetweentwoclothsandthensplittoeitherhand。Itwasforalltheworldasthoughsomearchangelwithahugeswordhadslasheditwiththefigureofacross；allhandsrantosecuretheslattingcanvas；
andinthesuddenuproarandalert，TommyHaddenlosthishead。Manyofhisdayshavebeenpassedsincetheninexplaininghowthethinghappened；oftheseexplanationsitwillbesufficienttosaythattheywerealldifferentandnonesatisfactory；andthegrossfactremainsthatthemainboomgybed，carriedawaythetackle，brokethemainmastsomethreefeetabovethedeckandwhippeditoverboard。Fornearaminutethesuspectedforemastgallantlyresisted；thenfolloweditscompanion；andbythetimethewreckwascleared，ofthewholebeautifulfabricthatenabledthemtoskimtheseas，tworaggedstumpsremained。
Inthesevastandsolitarywaters，tobedismastedisperhapstheworstcalamity。Lettheshipturnturtleandgodown，andatleastthepangisover。Butmenchainedonahulkmaypassmonthsscanningtheemptysealineandcountingthestepsofdeath’sinvisibleapproach。Thereisnohelpbutintheboats，andwhatahelpisthat！ThereheavedtheCurrencyLass，forinstance，awinglesslump，andthenearesthumancoast(thatofKauaiintheSandwiches)layaboutathousandmilestosouthandeastofher。Overthewaythere，tomencontemplatingthatpassageinanopenboat，allkindsofmisery，andthefearofdeathandofmadness，brooded。
Aseriouscompanysatdowntobreakfast；butthecaptainhelpedhisneighbourswithasmile。
“Now，boys。”hesaid，afterapullatthehotcoffee，“we’redonewiththisCurrencyLass，andnomistake。Onegoodjob：wemadeherpaywhileshelasted，andshepaidfirstrate；andifweweretotryourhandagain，wecantryinstyle。Anothergoodjob：wehaveafine，stiff，roomyboat，andyouknowwhoyouhavetothankforthat。We’vegotsixlivestosave，andapotofmoney；andthepointis，wherearewetotake’em？”
“It’salltwothousandmilestothenearestoftheSandwiches，I
fancy。”observedMac。
“No，notsobadasthat。”returnedthecaptain。“Butit’sbadenough：ratherbetter’nathousand。”
“Iknowamanwhooncedidtwelvehundredinaboat。”saidMac，“andhehadallhewanted。HefetchedashoreintheMarquesas，andneversetafootonanythingfloatingfromthatdaytothis。Hesaidhewouldratherputapistoltohisheadandknockhisbrainsout。”
“Ay，ay！”saidWicks。“WellIrememberaboat’screwthatmadethisveryislandofKauai，andfromjustaboutwherewelie，orabitfurther。Whentheygotupwiththeland，theywerecleancrazy。Therewasaniron-boundcoastandanOldBobRidleyofasurfon。Thenativeshailed’emfromfishing-boats，andsungoutitcouldn’tbedoneatthemoney。Muchtheycared！therewastheland，thatwasalltheyknew；andtheyturnedtoanddrovetheboatslapashoreinthethickofit，andwasalldrownedbutone。No；boattripsaremyeye。”
concludedthecaptain，gloomily。
Thetonewassurprisinginamanofhisindomitabletemper。
“Come，Captain。”saidCarthew，“youhavesomethingelseupyoursleeve；outwithit！”
“It’safact。”admittedWicks。“Youseethere’saraftoflittleballyreefsabouthere，kindofchicken-poxonthechart。Well，Ilooked’emallup，andthere’sone——MidwayorBrookstheycallit，notfortymilefromourassignedposition——thatIgotnewsof。Itturnsoutit’sacoalingstationofthePacificMail。”
hesaid，simply。
“Well，andIknowitain’tnosuchathing。”saidMac。“Ibeenquartermasterinthatlinemyself。”
“Allright。”returnedWicks。“There’sthebook。ReadwhatHoytsays——readitaloudandlettheothershear。”
Hoyt’sfalsehood(asreadersknow)wasexplicit；incredulitywasimpossible，andthenewsitselfdelightfulbeyondhope。
Eachsawinhismind’seyetheboatdrawintoatrimislandwithawharf，coal-sheds，gardens，theStarsandStripesandthewhitecottageofthekeeper；sawthemselvesidleafewweeksintolerablequarters，andthensteponboardtheChinamail，romanticwaifs，andyetwithpocketsfulofmoney，callingforchampagne，andwaitedonbytroopsofstewards。Breakfast，thathadbegunsodully，endedamidsoberjubilation，andallhandsturnedimmediatelytopreparetheboat。
Nowthatallsparsweregone，itwasnoeasyjobtogetherlaunched。Someofthenecessarycargowasfirststowedonboard；thespecie，inparticular，beingpackedinastrongchestandsecuredwithlashingstotheafterthwartincaseofacapsize。Thenapieceofthebulwarkwasrazedtothelevelofthedeck，andtheboatswungthwart-ship，madefastwithaslacklinetoeitherstump，andsuccessfullyrunout。Foravoyageoffortymilestohospitablequarters，notmuchfoodorwaterwasrequired；buttheytookbothinsuperfluity。AmaluandMac，bothingrainedsailor-men，hadchestswhichweretheheadquartersoftheirlives；twomorechestswithhandbags，oilskins，andblanketssuppliedtheothers；Hadden，amidgeneralapplause，addedthelastcaseofthebrownsherry；thecaptainbroughtthelog，instruments，andchronometer；nordidHemsteadforgetthebanjoorapinnedhandkerchiefofButaritarishells。
ItwasaboutthreeP。M。whentheypushedoff，and(thewindbeingstillwesterly)felltotheoars。“Well，we’vegotthegutsoutofYOU！”wasthecaptain’snoddedfarewelltothehulkoftheCurrencyLass，whichpresentlyshrankandfadedinthesea。
Alittleafteracalmsucceeded，withmuchrain；andthefirstmealwaseaten，andthewatchbelowlaydowntotheiruneasyslumberonthebilgeunderaroaringshower-bath。Thetwenty-
ninthdawnedoverheadfromoutofraggedclouds；thereisnomomentwhenaboatatseaappearssotrenchantlyblackandsoconspicuouslylittle；andthecrewlookedaboutthemattheskyandwaterwithathrilloflonelinessandfear。Withsunrisethetradesetin，lustyandtruetothepoint；sailwasmade；theboatflew；andbyaboutfourintheafternoon，theywerewellupwiththeclosedpartofthereef，andthecaptainstandingonthethwart，andholdingbythemast，wasstudyingtheislandthroughthebinoculars。
“Well，andwhere’syourstation？”criedMac。
“Idon’tsomewaypickitup。”repliedthecaptain。
“No，norneverwill！”retortedMac，withaclangofdespairandtriumphinhistones。
Thetruthwassoonplaintoall。Nobuoys，nobeacons，nolights，nocoal，nostation；thecastawayspulledthroughalagoonandlandedonanisle，wherewasnomarkofmanbutwreckwood，andnosoundbutofthesea。Fortheseafowlthatharbouredandlivedthereattheepochofmyvisitwerethenscatteredintotheuttermostpartsoftheocean，andhadleftnotracesoftheirsojournbesidesdroppedfeathersandaddledeggs。Itwastothistheyhadbeensent，forthistheyhadstoopedallnightoverthedrippingoars，hourlymovingfurtherfromrelief。Theboat，forassmallasitwas，wasyeteloquentofthehandsofmen，athingaloneindeedupontheseabutyetinitselfallhuman；andtheisle，forwhichtheyhadexchangedit，wasingloriouslysavage，aplaceofdistress，solitude，andhungerunrelieved。Therewasastrongglareandshadowoftheeveningoverall；inwhichtheysatorlay，notspeaking，carelesseventoeat，menswindledoutoflifeandrichesbyalyingbook。Inthegreatgoodnatureofthewholeparty，nowordofreproachhadbeenaddressedtoHadden，theauthorofthesedisasters。Butthenewblowwaslessmagnanimouslyborne，andmanyangryglancesrestedonthecaptain。
