"Just imagine how nice
you'd feel, Mr. Ricks, if you were skippering a boat and picked up a
message like this at sea:
"'Grant, Master Steamer Tillicum: Gave Captain Matt Peasley a
letter to you yesterday ordering you to turn over command of
Tillicum to him on presentation or demand. This on his request
and on his insistence, as per clause in charter party, copy of
which you have. Peasley leaves to-day for Panama on City of
Para. This will be your authority for declining to surrender
the ship to him when he comes aboard there. Stand pat! Letter
with complete instructions for your guidance follows on City of
Para.
Ricks.'"
Cappy Ricks commenced tapping one foot nervously against the other,
Mr. Skinner coughed perfunctorily, while Matt withered each with a
rather sorrowful glance.
"Of course you can imagine the shock this gave me. I give you my word
that for as much as five seconds I didn't know what to do; but after
that I got real busy. I swung the ship and came ramping back to San
Diego harbor, slipped ashore in the small boat and found Captain Grant
at the railroad station buying a ticket for San Francisco. I had to
wait and watch the ticket office for an hour before he showed up, and
when he did I made him a proposition.
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