"It's irritatin', Janet, it's just irritatin'. I ha' been justified from first to last, as the world knows, but-but I canna forgie 'em. Ay, wisdom is justified o' her children; an' any other man than me wad ha' made the indent eight hunder. Hay was our skipper-ye'll have met him. They shifted him to the Torgau, an' bade me wait for the Breslau under young Bannister. Ye'll obsairve there'd been a new election on the Board. I heard the shares were sellin' hither an' yon, an' the major part of the Board was new to me. The old Board would ne'er ha' done it. They trusted But the new Board were all for reorganisation. Young Steiner -- Steiner's son- the Jew, was at the bottom of it, an' they did not think it worth their while to send me word. The first I knew-an' I was Chief Engineer—was the notice of the line's winter sailin's, an' the Breslau timed for sixteen days between port an' port! Sixteen days, man! She's a good boat, but eighteen is her summer time, mark you. Sixteen was sheer flytin', kitin' nonsense, an' so I told young Bannister.

me.

"We've got to make it,' he said. 'Ye should not ha' sent in a three hunder pound indent.' "Do they look for their boats to be run on air?' I said. The Board's daft.'

.

"E'en tell 'em so,' he says. I'm a married man, an' my fourth's on the ways now, she says.' "A boy-wi' red hair," Janet put in. Her own

hair is the splendid red-gold that goes with a creamy complexion.

"My word, I was an angry man that day! Forbye I was fond o' the old Breslau, I looked for a little consideration from the Board after twenty years' service. There was Board-meetin' on Wednesday, an' I slept overnight in the engine-room, takin' figures to support my case. Well, I put it fair an' square before them all. 'Gentlemen,' I said, 'I've run the Breslau eight seasons, an' I believe there's no fault to find wi' my wark. But if ye haud to this'--I waggled the advertisement at 'em-'this that I've never heard of it till I read it at breakfast, I do assure you on my professional reputation, she can never do it. That is to say, she can for a while, but at a risk no thinkin' man would run.'

"What the deil d' ye suppose we pass your indents for?' says old Holdock. 'Man, we're spendin' money like watter.'

I

“I'll leave it in the Board's hands,' I said, '‘if two hunder an' eighty-seven pound is anything beyond right an' reason for eight months.' might ha' saved my breath, for the Board was new since the last election, an' there they sat, the damned deevidend-huntin' ship-chandlers, deaf as the adders o' Scripture.

"We must keep faith wi' the public,' said young Steiner.

"Keep faith wi' the Breslau, then,' I said. “She's served you well, an' your father before you. She'll need her bottom restiffenin', an' new bed-plates, an' turnin' out the forward boilers, an' re-turnin' all three cylinders, an' refacin' all guides, to begin with. It's a three months' job.'

6

“Because one employé is afraid?' says young Steiner. Maybe a piano in the Chief Engineer's cabin would be more to the point.'

"I crushed my cap in my hands, an' thanked God we'd no bairns an' a bit put by.

"Understand, gentlemen,' I said. 'If the Breslau is made a sixteen-day boat, ye'll find another engineer.'

"Bannister makes no objection,' said Holdock. "I'm speakin' for myself,' I said. 'Bannister has bairns. An' then I lost my temper. Ye can run her into Hell an' out again if ye pay pilotage,' I said, "but ye run without me.' "That's insolence,' said young Steiner. "At your pleasure,' I said, turnin' to go. "Ye can consider yourself dismissed. must preserve discipline among our employés,' said old Holdock, an' he looked round to see that the Board was with him. They knew nothin'God forgie 'eman' they nodded me out o' the line after twenty years after twenty years.

We

"I went out an' sat down by the hall porter to get my wits again. I'm thinkin' I swore at the

Board. Then auld McRimmon-o' McNaughten & McRimmon -came oot o' his office, that's on the same floor, an' looked at me, proppin' up one eyelid wi' his forefinger. Ye know they call him the Blind Deevil, forbye he's onythin' but blind, an' no deevil in his dealin's wi' me- McRimmon o' the Black Bird Line.

"What's here, Mister McPhee?' said he. "I was past prayin' for by then.

'A Chief Engineer sacked after twenty years' service because he'll not risk the Breslau on the new timin', an' be damned to ye, McRimmon,' I said.

"The auld man sucked in his lips an' whistled. 'Ah,' said he, 'the new timin'. I see!' He doddered into the Board-room I'd just left, an' the Dandie-dog that is just his blind man's leader stayed wi' me. That was providential. In a minute he was back again. Ye've cast your bread on the watter, McPhee, an' be damned to you,' he says. Whaur's my dog? My word, is he on your knee? There's more discernment in a dog than a Jew. What garred ye curse your Board, McPhee? It's expensive.'

"They'll pay more for the Breslau,' I said. 'Get off my knee, ye smotherin' beast.'

'It's

"Bearin's hot, eh?' said McRimmon. thirty year since a man daur curse me to my face. Time was I'd ha' cast ye doon the stairway for that.' "Forgie 's all!' I said. He was wearin' to

eighty, as I knew. I was wrong, McRimmon; but when a man's shown the door for doin' his plain duty, he's not always ceevil.'

"So I hear,' says McRimmon. 'Ha' ye ony objection to a tramp freighter? It's only fifteen a month, but they say the Blind Deevil feeds a man better than others. She's my Kite. Come ben. Ye can thank Dandie, here. I'm no used to thanks. An' noo,' says he, 'what possessed ye to throw up your berth wi' Holdock?'

"The new timin',' said I. The Breslau will not stand it.'

"Hoot, oot,' said he. Ye might ha' crammed her a little enough to show ye were drivin' her -an' brought her in twa days behind. What's easier than to say ye slowed for bearin's, eh? All my men do it, and — I believe 'em.'

666

McRimmon,' says I, 'what's her virginity to a lassie ?'

"He puckered his dry face an' twisted in his chair. The warld an' a',' says he. My God, the vara warld an' a'! But what ha' you or me to do wi' virginity, this late along?'

"This,' I said. There's just one thing that each one of us in his trade or profession will not do for ony consideration whatever. If I run to time I run to time, barrin' always the risks o' the high seas. Less than that, under God, I have not done. More than that, by God, I will not do!