I Tried To Imagine What He WOULD Do To A Cub Pilot Who Had Been Guilty Of Such A Crime As Mine, Committed On A Boat Guard-Deep With Costly Freight And Alive With Passengers.

Our watch was nearly ended.

I thought I would go and hide somewhere till I got a chance to slide ashore. So I slipped out of the pilot-house, and down the steps, and around to the texas door - and was in the act of gliding within, when the captain confronted me! I dropped my head, and he stood over me in silence a moment or two, then said impressively -

'Follow me.'

I dropped into his wake; he led the way to his parlor in the forward end of the texas. We were alone, now. He closed the after door; then moved slowly to the forward one and closed that. He sat down; I stood before him. He looked at me some little time, then said -

'So you have been fighting Mr. Brown?'

I answered meekly -

'Yes, sir.'

'Do you know that that is a very serious matter?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Are you aware that this boat was plowing down the river fully five minutes with no one at the wheel?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Did you strike him first?'

'Yes, sir.'

'What with?'

'A stool, sir.'

'Hard?'

'Middling, sir.'

'Did it knock him down?'

'He - he fell, sir.'

'Did you follow it up?

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