because he was going to throw him overboard the minute he arrived."

All Hands And Feet swept away any lingering fears Cappy might chance
to be entertaining. "Aye ban weigh two hundret an' saxty pounds," he
announced.

"Which being the case," Cappy warned him, "should he succeed in
throwing YOU overboard I should consider you unfit for a job in my
employ." (The old fox had not the slightest idea such a contretemps
was possible, but in order to play safe he considered it good policy
to hearten Ole for the fray.) "Should he defeat you, captain, I have
no hesitancy in saying to you now that such a misfortune would have a
most disastrous effect on your future in my employ. You know me.
When I order a job done, I want it done, and I want it done well.
Understand! I don't want you to maim or kill the man, but just give
him a good sound--er--commercial thrashing; and after you've tamed him
I want you to--"

All Hands And Feet nodded his comprehension.

"An'," he interrupted, "after aye ban slap him once or twice aye ban
give good kick under de coattail an' fire dis fresh guy--eh?" he
suggested.

"Fire nothing!" shrilled Cappy. "You follow instructions, Ole, or
I'll fire you! No, sir. After you've thrashed him I want you to bend
a rope round him amidships and souse him overside to bring him to!
Remember, we fired him once and he would not be fired. The damned sea
lawyer quoted the salt-water code to us and said he'd shipped for the
round trip; so we'll take him at his word. He's your first mate,