"No, sir; but I'm not a bad schooner sailor, and can reef and steer."

"Well, I don't want any shilly-shally! Say yes or no. I have my
clearance, and here comes the tug to take me down the Sound."

"Well, yes, then."

And so it came about that Lee found himself, within half an hour, bound
down for Hatteras Inlet and thence for Havana, when he had only started
from home to go halibut fishing!


CHAPTER VII.

In a day or two after the vessel got to sea the mates got better and
went to duty, and the skipper seemed to take a pleasure in abusing and
worrying them, although it was evident from their appearance that they
had suffered severely from the swamp fever, and had not been shamming,
as the captain intimated.

In fact, the latter turned out to be a regular sea-tyrant, and Lee soon
found that life under him would be intolerable.

The crew were a mixed lot, mostly Norwegians and Dagos, whom the captain
had shipped at low wages. Some of them hardly understood a word of
English; and before the week was out the captain almost killed a poor
Portuguese by striking him with a belaying-pin because he misunderstood
an order while at the wheel.