Who's on watch down there?"

A hollow, unhuman voice rumbled up through the tube in answer:

I am. Second engineer."

Good! You want to stir your stumps, now, Harry--the Amaranth's just

turned the point--and she's just a--humping herself, too!"

The pilot took hold of a rope that stretched out forward, jerked it

twice, and two mellow strokes of the big bell responded. A voice out on

the deck shouted:

Stand by, down there, with that labboard lead!"

"No, I don't want the lead," said the pilot, "I want you. Roust out the

old man--tell him the Amaranth's coming. And go and call Jim--tell him."

"Aye-aye, sir!"

The "old man" was the captain--he is always called so, on steamboats and

ships; "Jim" was the other pilot. Within two minutes both of these men

were flying up the pilothouse stairway, three steps at a jump. Jim was

in his shirt sleeves,--with his coat and vest on his arm. He said:

"I was just turning in. Where's the glass"

The Gilded Age