"As a member o' the Maggie Syndicate an' ownin' an' votin' a quarter interest," boomed the engineer, "I hereby call a meetin' o' the said syndicate for the purpose o' transactin' any an' all business that may properly come before the meetin'."
"Pass the word for Neils Halvorsen," suggested Mr. Gibney. "Bless his squarehead soul," he added.
"We got a quorum without him, an' besides this business is just between us three."
"Meetin'll come to order." The commodore tapped the hot deck with his bare heel twice. "Haul away, Mac."
"I move you, gentlemen, that it be the sense o' this meetin' that B. McGuffey, Esquire, be an' he is hereby app'inted a committee o' one to lam the everlastin' daylights out o' that sinful former chief mate o' ourn for abandonin' the syndicate to a horrible death on that there desert island. Do I hear a second to that motion?"
"Second the motion," chirped Captain Scraggs.
"The motion's denied," announced Mr. Gibney firmly.
"Now, looky here, Gib, that ain't fair. Didn't you fight Tabu-Tabu an' didn't Scraggsy fight the king o' Kandavu? I ain't had no fightin' this entire v'yage an' I did cal'late to lick that doggone mate."
"Mac, it can't be done nohow."
"Oh, it can't, eh? Well, I'll just bet you two boys my interest in the syndicate——"