"
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." And Matt Peasley was off like a
tin-canned dog to slick himself up for the party, while Cappy entered
the elevator chuckling. "If I ever find the sour-souled philosopher
who said you can't mix business and sentiment without resultant
chaos," he soliloquized, "I'll boil the kill-joy in oil."
CHAPTER XXIX
NATURE TAKES HER COURSE
The big steam schooner Quickstep was lying at the Los Medanos dock
when Matt Peasley reported for duty. The captain was not aboard, but
the first mate received him kindly and explained that Captain Kjellin
had gone down to San Francisco by train for a little social relaxation
and to bring back funds to pay off the longshoremen.
Early on Monday morning the crew and a large force of stevedores
commenced to discharge the vessel. Two winches were kept busy, the
first mate being in charge of the work up forward and Matt
superintending that aft. The shingles were loaded in huge rope cargo
nets, snatched out of the ship and swung overside onto flat cars,
which were shunted off into the drying yard as soon as loaded.
The captain returned at noon on Tuesday, and at two o'clock the last
bundle of shingles was out of the Quickstep, for the mate had worked
overtime Monday night in order that they might finish discharging
early enough on Tuesday afternoon to drop down to Oleum and take on
fuel oil for the next voyage.
Pages:
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210