route via Duxbury Reef. When Matt reached home that night he found his
ingenious father-in-law fairly purring with contentment.

"Well, Matt, old horse," Cappy piped, "I've chartered the Narcissus.
Norfolk to Batavia or Manila with coal. Got a glorious price--ten
dollars a ton. That's what we get for holding off until the last
minute."

"That's encouraging," Matt answered pleasantly, and asked no further
questions. He was obsessed with the engines of the _Amelia Ricks_. It
was going to cost a lot of money to put them in condition again, and
he remarked as much to Cappy. Thus it happened that they entered into
a discussion of other matters, and the good ship _Narcissus_, having
finished discharging her cargo of nitrate, dropped down to Norfolk,
where Captain Michael J. Murphy proceeded to let a stream of coal into
her at a rate that promised to load her fully in less than four days.

It is worthy of remark, at this juncture, that Mike Murphy and Terence
Reardon had, by this time, cast aside all appearance of even
shirt-sleeve diplomacy. Diplomatic relations had, in fact, been
completely severed. Crossing the Gulf Stream, Murphy had called the
engine-room on the speaking-tube and politely queried if Mr. Reardon
didn't think he could get a few more revolutions out of her. To this
Mr. Reardon had replied passionately that if such a thing were
possible he would have done it long ago without waiting to be told. He
desired to inform Captain Murphy that he knew his business; whereupon
Murphy had replied that he never would have guessed Mr. Reardon was
that intelligent, judging by the face of him. In disgust Mr. Reardon
had replied: "Aw, go to--" and then tried to close the speaking-tube
before the captain would have the opportunity to retort. However,