'I was waiting for the chance,' said Davis to Herrick. 'I needn't do the

same with you, because you understand it for yourself.'

Are you going to berth here?' asked Herrick, following the captain into

the stateroom, where he began to adjust the chronometer in its place at

the bed-head.

'Not much!' replied he. 'I guess I'll berth on deck. I don't know as I'm

afraid, but I've no immediate use for confluent smallpox.'

'I don't know that I'm afraid either,' said Herrick. 'But the thought of

these two men sticks in my throat; that captain and mate dying here, one

opposite to the other. It's grim. I wonder what they said last?'

'Wiseman and Wishart?' said the captain. 'Probably mighty small

potatoes. That's a thing a fellow figures out for himself one way, and

the real business goes quite another. Perhaps Wiseman said, "Here old

man, fetch up the gin, I'm feeling powerful rocky." And perhaps Wishart

said, "Oh, hell!"'

'Well, that's grim enough,' said Herrick.

'And so it is,' said Davis. 'There; there's that chronometer fixed. And

now it's about time to up anchor and clear out.'

He lit a cigar and stepped on deck.

The Ebb-Tide