Argosy, Vol. 120, No. 1 — page 72: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

62 hurried to the saloon and soothed with two cups of coffee, the ache that was beginning in his head. There had been too little left of him physically for meeting the nervous strains of these past few hours, not to men- tion the actual exertions far beyond any he had troubled to put forth during his stay on the beach. - Aside from the usual erowth of a head- ache, the morning provided nothing unusual for Dan. It gave some opportunity to study ‘the crew. Nationally, these were Scandi- navians, than whom few men could make a more desirable complement of sailors. But there was a certain slowness of obedience about them which seemed to Dan hardly ac- counted for by the native stolidity of the men. That was quite natural. They were above the average intelligence of ordinary sailors, The frequent changes of mates was bound to have impressed them with a certain amount of disrespect for the presumably very temporary holder of the position. Most of Dan’s apprenticeship had been spent under good commanders who under- stood the value of self-control in contrelling others. Dan diagnosed the condition of the ship’s discipline as one which might be kept in hand -without too much difficulty, but might run to a state of sullenness on the crew’s part and even to mutiny if it were - not handled carefully. He was at great pains to maintain that even crispness of voice which is the real trick of all discipline. The pains were real at times. His headache and general nervous condition had him grinding his teeth over and over again to keep from losing voice and temper together. - Only once, however, did he come near an open clash with one of the men. This was a heavy, unusually swarthy Swede. Perhaps Dan’s ire was not so much at his failure to obey promptly as the fact that his delay was caused by his stopping to finish some remark to the second mate, with whom he seemed to be on rather more fa- miliar terms than usually exist between sea- men and officers. Out of deference to the other officer, Dan would have called on another man to assist the one who was arranging the sling around os ee ——< THE “ARGOSY. three casks for hoisting; but no other was at hand at the moment. It seemed to Dan that the sailor had glanced covertly in his direction as he laughingly passed whatever words he said. Dan had been standing on the opposite side of the wide hatch when he gave his order. He got around it so quickly that the big, dark seaman braced himself involuntarily for a blow. But Dan intended no blow. In his con- dition the results of a fight could have been but his finish, unarmed as he was. There was, however, no sign of fear to be seen in his eyes. His voice was a shade softer than usual and a tone or two lower, as he simply said: ‘“I guess you did not understand me. You will give a hand there.”’ | ‘Oh — aye, sir,” the fellow responded, after a battle entirely fought out on a basis of ability to meet eye with eye. Dan’s eyes turned sharply on Edwards, whose speech with men under Dan’s orders was quite as much a breach of. discipline as the Swede’s slowness. “JT beg pardon, Mr. apologized the second mate. know you were calling him.” ‘“‘T thought you didn’t,” Dan returned coolly. Edwards hastily left that part of the ship. Dan saw no more of him until the ringing of the dinner-bell, when he came to allow his superior opportunity to eat at the first table. That was a privilege Dan would willingly have foregone. He had his place of the evening before, between Panama Liz and the Ordway couple. The former of these either had taken his advice about leaving him alone, or was not in conversational humor. The missionary couple seemed to have formed their opinion of him by the episode of the previous night, and were uncommunicative. Mass Hope did not acknowledge his entrance by a look or nod. The first, second, and third engineers were all, there. It seemed they had been ashore yesterday afternoon and evening. They introduced themselves, and might have been ready enough to strike up a real acquaintance with the new officer had they not sat so far dgwn toward the end of the Corwin,” hastily “J didn’t © CONMUCG YOO CO@