Part 3 (1/2)

”And now, sir, about the watches,” reht afore last, the mate took the port watch, and I the starboard; but now that the one, hoould it be if I was to take the port and Chips the starboard watch? Would that suit ye, sir?”

”Yes,” I said, ”that would be an excellent arrangement, I think By the way, how many do you muster in a watch?”

”Four in each, includin' me and Chips,” answered the boatswain

”U the part of the world to which you are bound,” I remarked ”You will have to keep a sharp eye upon the weather, and call ood tiht to do Has either of you ever been this way before?”

They had not, it appeared

”And what about your forecastle crowd?” I asked ”Are they all good, reliable ners, aren't they?”

”Yes,” answered Enderby, lowering his voice and drawing me away from the vicinity of the man at the wheel ”Yes, worse luck, our four ABs are all foreigners Not that I've got anything very special to say against 'eood sailor-men, all of 'em; but the fact is, sir, I don't like bein' shi+pners; I don't like their ways, and soot very nasty te chap with the red hair and beard--he's a Roosian Finn; and he've got a vile teivin' sort of feller, reainst a man--if you understand what I mean

Then there's 'Dutchy', as we calls him--that chap that pushed hisself for'ard e hoisted in your boat--he's an awk'ard feller to get on with, too; hates bein' ordered about, and don't believe in discipline

He and Svorenssen will both be in my watch, and I'll see to it that they minds their P's and Q's The other two aren't so bad; but they'd be a lot better if Svorenssen and Dutchy was out of the shi+p”

”Ah, well,” I said, ”we are five Englishmen to four of them If they should take it into their heads to be insubordinate I have no doubt we shall kno to deal with the-book I suppose you knohere it is kept?”

”Yes,” answered Enderby, ”the skipper used to keep it in his cabin

Billy'll give it you, and show you all you want to see He knohere his father kept everything Oh! and I forgot to mention it, but supper'll be on the table at seven o'clock”

”Righto!” I returned as I wheeled about and headed for the companion

CHAPTER FOUR

I TAKE COMMAND OF THE ”YORKshi+RE Lass”

”Billy, my boy, where are you?” I called, as I entered the cabin

”Here I a fro I can do for you, sir?”

Billy Stenson was certainly an a and very lovable little chap as he stood there beforeasking for a stick to be thrown into the water, that he may sho cleverly he can retrieve it If Billy had possessed a tail I aorously

”Yes, Billy,” I said ”I should like to see the shi+p's log-book

Enderby tells me that you knohere it is kept, and can find it for me

And I should like another look at the chart that you showed o Also, if you can put your hand upon that agreement between your father and Mr Barber, I should like to look through it--with any other papers thereupon the reatly interested in it”

”Yes, sir,” said Billy ”I'll get you the log-book, and the chart, _and_ the agreement And I think you'd like to see Father's diary too, sir When he oin' huntin'

for the treasure, he started to keep a diary, writin' down in it everything that Mr Barber told him about it; and there's a drawin' in it that Mr Barberhow it looked, so that they ain”