To this proposition Captain Halstead returned a most emphatic refusal.
"Whoop!" sounded a jubilant voice from below. "Whoo-oo-oopee!"
"Who on earth is that?" demanded Mr. Ross.
"Ted Dyer, the last castaway we picked up out of the ocean," responded Captain Halstead.
"What on earth can he find to be so joyous——"
"Whoo-oop!" interrupted Ted himself, appearing on deck at that instant. His eyes were snapping with excitement, his face fairly glowing with delight.
"Say, do you know what's down in the forehold, sir?" he demanded, facing Captain Tom Halstead.
"No; and how do you?" broke in Joseph Baldwin, interrupting.
"Quartermaster Bickson set me to tidying up there," explained Ted. Then, turning to the young skipper, the San Francisco boy rattled on: