He took his old-fashioned watch from his pocket and glanced at the dial.

"I mustn't be settin' round here much longer," he added. "John Baxter's
goin' to have that little patch of cranberry swamp of his picked
to-morrer, and he's expectin' some barrels down on to-night's train.
John asked me to git Zoeth Cahoon to cart 'em down for him, but I ain't
got nothin' special to do to-night, so I thought I'd hitch up and go
and git 'em myself. You and Jerry can match cents to see who does the
dishes. I did 'em last night, so it's my watch below."

"Well, _I_ shan't do 'em," declared Captain Perez. "Blessed if I'd do
the durn things to-night if the President of the United States asked me
to."

"Humph!" sputtered Captain Jerry. "I s'pose you fellers think I'll do
'em all the time. If you do you're mistook, that's all. 'Twan't last
night you done 'em, Eri; 'twas the night afore. I done 'em last night,
and I'm ready to take my chances agin if we match, but I'm jiggered if
I let you shove the whole thing off onto me. I didn't ship for cook no
more 'n the rest of you."

Neither of the others saw fit to answer this declaration of independence
and there was a pause in the conversation. Then Captain Jerry said
moodily:

"It ain't no use. It don't work."

"What don't work?" asked Captain Eri.

"Why, this plan of ours. I thought when we fellers give up goin' to