“I thank you, captain. Come out in the general office now and I'll introduce you to the cashier, who will furnish you with expense money. Meantime, I'll have Skinner fill out a certificate of change of masters and have it registered at the custom-house. Can't send you down there without your credentials, you know.”
All Hands And Feet mumbled his thanks; for, indeed, he was grateful for this chance to prove his metal. Calm in the knowledge of his past performances, he took no thought of the personal issue with Matt Peasley, for never had he met a mate he could not thrash. He followed Cappy out to the cashier's desk; and while the latter equipped All Hands And Feet for his journey to South Africa, and Mr. Skinner departed for the custom-house to have the certificate registered, Cappy wired McBride, aboard the Overland speeding east, instructing him to come back to San Francisco.
When Skinner returned to the office he found Cappy clawing nervously at his whiskers.
“The man Peasley has completely disrupted our organization,” he complained bitterly. “Here I go to work and promote McBride to the Retriever to make room for his mate in the Nokomis, and now I have to recall Mac and give the Retriever to All Hands And Feet until she gets back to Grays Harbor; in consequence of which Mac hasn't a thing to do for four months and draws full pay for doing it, and later I've got to provide a permanent place for All Hands And Feet! Skinner, if this continues, I shall yet fill a pauper's grave.” He was silent for several seconds; then: “By the way, Skinner, have you replied to that last cablegram from the man Peasley?”
“No, sir. I didn't think it required an answer.”
“You mean you didn't know what answer to give him,” Cappy snarled. “Well, neither do I; but since the cuss has got us into the spending habit, I'm going to be reckless for once and send him a cable myself, just to let him know I'm calling his bluff.”
And, with that remark, Cappy squared round to his desk and wrote, in a trembling hand: “Special messenger big as horse carries reply your last cablegram.”
“There,” he said, turning to his general manager; “send that to the man Peasley, and sign my name to it.”