CHAPTER XI
CAPTAIN MARSHALL IS ANGRY
News circulates quickly on a ship, and it was not long ere Nat heardfrom some of the crew that the mate's nephew had come aboard to finishout the voyage with his uncle. Sam Shaw was installed in a smallstateroom near the mate's, and when the _Jessie Drew_ resumed her waythat afternoon the red-haired youth stood about with a superciliousair, watching Nat and the others at work.
"Is that all you've got to do?" asked Mr. Dunn, the purser, of Sam, ashe saw the youth standing idly at the rail, when every one else wasbusy.
"Sure," replied Sam, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "I'm apassenger, I am. I'm making this voyage for my health. Maybe after awhile I'll be an assistant to you."
"Not if I know it," murmured Mr. Dunn. "I like Nat, and I hope I cankeep him. He's doing good work."
He passed on, for he had considerable to do on account of taking on anew cargo, while Nat, too, was kept busy.
"This just suits me," said Sam Shaw to himself as he leaned over therail and looked down into the blue waters of the lake. "I'm glad UncleJoe sent for me to join him. He said in his letter there might be achance for me, after all, to get a place in the purser's office. Ithought by that he must mean that Nat Morton was out, but he isn't.However, I'll leave it to Uncle Joe. He generally manages to get hisown way. I guess I'll take that fellow Nat down a few pegs before Iget through with him."
Sam had received a letter at his home in Chicago from his uncle, themate, telling him to meet the _Jessie Drew_ at Alpena. Sam had doneso, as we have seen, and was now established aboard the vessel. But hewas a little puzzled as to his uncle's plans.
Mr. Bumstead had said nothing further about providing a place for hisnephew where the lad might earn money, and this was what Sam wantedmore than anything else. He wanted an opening where there was not muchwork, and he thought Nat's position just about filled the bill. He didnot know how hard our hero labored.
"Wait until I get in the purser's office," he mused as he puffed athis cigarette. "I'll soon learn all there is to know, and then I'llhave my uncle see the captain and have me made purser. I don't likeMr. Dunn. When I get his job I'll take things easy, and have a coupleof assistants to do the work. Maybe I'll let Nat be second assistant,"he went on. "Won't I make him stand around, though!"
These thoughts were very pleasant to Sam Shaw. At heart he was a meanyouth, and he was lazy and inefficient, faults to which his uncle was,unfortunately, blind. Mr. Bumstead thought Sam was a very fine boy.
In one of his trips about the deck, attending to his duties, Nat hadto pass close to Sam. He saw the red-haired lad smoking a cigarette,and, knowing it was against the rules of the ship to smoke in thatpart of it where Sam was, he said:
"You'd better throw that overboard before the captain sees you."
"Throw what overboard?" asked Sam in surly tones.
"That cigarette. It's against the rules to smoke 'em here."
"What do I care?" retorted Sam. "My uncle is the mate."
"That won't make any difference if Captain Marshall sees you."
"I'm not afraid of him. My uncle owns part of the ship. He could becaptain if he wanted to. I'll smoke wherever I please. Have oneyourself?" he added in a burst of generosity, for since he had hadhis idea of becoming purser and having Nat for an assistant, Sam feltin a little more tolerant mood toward our hero.
"No, thanks, I don't smoke."
"Afraid of being sick, I s'pose."
"No, it isn't that."
"Afraid the captain will see you and punish you, then?"
"Well, that's part of it. I used to smoke when I was about the docks,but I found it didn't agree with me, so I gave it up. I like acigarette, but I believe they're bad for one's health. Besides, if Idid smoke, I wouldn't do it here. It's against the rules, I tell you,and you'd better stop."
"Well, I'm not going to, and you can go and tell Captain Marshall ifyou want to."
"I don't do things like that," replied Nat quietly, though he feltlike punching Sam for his sneering tone. "But I'm advising you foryour own good."
He turned away, and as he did so his coat, with an outside pocketshowing conveniently open, was close to Sam's hand. Then a daring andmean scheme came into the mind of the red-haired youth.
"If I get into trouble, I'll make trouble for him, too," he thought,and with a quick motion he dropped into Nat's pocket a partly-filledbox of cigarettes. "If he squeals on me I'll have something to tellon him," he continued.
Hardly had he done this than he was startled by an angry voiceexclaiming:
"Throw that cigarette overboard! How dare you smoke on this deck?Don't you know it's against the rules? Go below at once and I'llattend to your case!"
Sam started guiltily, and turned to behold Captain Marshall glaring athim and at the lighted cigarette which the youth still held betweenhis fingers. Nat, who had passed on only a few steps, turned likewise.One look at the commander's face told him Captain Marshall was veryangry indeed.
"I told you that you'd better stop," Nat whispered to Sam.
"Aw, dry up!" was the ungracious retort. "I guess I can look out formyself."
"Look here," went on the captain, striding up to Sam, "didn't you knowit was against the rules to smoke up here? I don't like cigarettes inany part of the ship, least of all up on this deck. Didn't your uncletell you about it?"
"No--no, sir," replied Sam, who, in spite of his bravado, was startledby the angry manner of the commander.
"And didn't any one tell you that it was forbidden here? Didn't youtell him?" he asked, turning to Nat. "You've been here long enough toknow that rule."
"I did know it, sir," replied Nat respectfully, "and I told----"
"He didn't tell me!" burst out Sam quickly. "He didn't say anythingabout it. In fact, Captain Marshall, he asked me to smoke here. Hegave me the cigarette!"
"What!" exclaimed Nat, astonished beyond measure. "I never----"
"Yes, you did!" went on Sam quickly. "You gave me a cigarette out of abox you had in your pocket, I--I thought it was all right to smokewhen he gave it to me."
"Is this true?" demanded the captain sternly.
"No, sir!" exclaimed Nat. "I haven't any cigarettes, and if I had Iwouldn't give him any. I haven't smoked in over a year."
"He says you have a box in your pocket now," continued CaptainMarshall, remembering his suspicions about the fire in the hold.
"He's telling an untruth," replied Nat quietly. "I don't carrycigarettes about with me. You can----"
"Then what's this?" asked the commander suddenly, as he stepped towardNat, and plunging his hand in the lad's pocket he pulled out the boxof cigarettes. The captain had seen a suspicious-looking bulge, andhad acted on what he considered his rights as a commander of a vesselin searching one of his crew.
"Why--why----" stammered Nat. "I didn't know----"
"That's the box my cigarette came out of," said Sam, truthfullyenough.
"It isn't mine!" exclaimed Nat.
"Then what's it doing in your pocket?" inquired Captain Marshall.
"I don't know, unless Sam put it there," said Nat firmly.
"That's a likely story! I don't believe you."
"I never put it there," declared Sam stoutly. Telling an untruth meantnothing to him.
"Then some one else, who wants to injure me, did it," declared Nat. "Inever use cigarettes--I haven't for over a year."
"This will be looked into," said the captain. "One of you lads istelling an untruth, and I propose to find out who. When I do I shalltake action. Meanwhile I'll hold these cigarettes as evidence. Don'tlet me catch either of you smoking again aboard this ship. As foryou," he added, turning to Nat, "you've been idle long enough. Get onwith your work."