Page:A Sailor Boy with Dewey.djvu/14

2 shiver. "We don't want to be finished—at least, I don't."

"Neither do I. But when a storm comes, it comes, that is all there is to it."

"True, but we might do something toward meeting it," I went on, with a grave shake of my head, for I did not altogether like Dan's light-hearted way of looking at things. "In my opinion Captain Kenny ought to be on deck this instant, watching this storm."

"Supposing you tell him that?"

"I've a good mind to."

"You'll get a belaying pin over your head, as Dawson, the mate, got. Captain Kenny is not a man to be talked to. He is bad enough when he is sober, and when he isn't he is simply terrible."

"But he has no right to imperil the lives of twenty or more people by his drunkenness," I rejoined warmly. "If I had my way, I'd put the captain in irons and place Dawson in command of the Dart. He knows enough to keep sober, and"

"Ye would do thet, would ye?" roared a hoarse voice at my shoulder, and turning swiftly I found myself confronted by Captain Kenny. "I'll teach ye how to talk ag'in the master o' this vessel, an' don't ye forgit it!" And he grabbed me by the arm.