"Hem—hem! Mr. Ackell," said the captain, with some emotion, "'tis a great ship!"
It occurred to Archie that night, while he sat munching hard biscuit with the captain before turning in, to ask a few questions about Tim Tuttle. What was the matter with the man? Why did he go about with a sneer or a frown forever on his face? Why was he not like all the rest of the crew? Why did the crew seem to expect him to "do" something? Why did the captain flush and bristle when Tuttle came near?
"Oh," the captain replied, with a laugh, "Tuttle had a fallin' out with me when we was young. I think," he added, gravely, "that he wronged me. But that's neither here nor there. I forgave him. The point is—an' I've often run across the same thing in my life—that he won't forgive me for forgivin' him. That's odd, isn't it? But it's true. An' he's aboard here t' make trouble; an' the men know that that's just what he came for."
"But what did you ship him for, captain, if you knew that?"
The captain paused. "Well," he said, "because I'm only a man, I s'pose. I couldn't help knockin' the chip off his shoulder."
"Do you think he can make trouble?"
"I'd like t' see him try!" the captain burst out, wrathfully.
Tuttle's opportunity occurred the next day.