"I don't believe it, anyhow," said the lady, "and I'm amazed that a man of apparent intelligence should say such things. You should do unto others as you would have them do unto you—always."
"Quite so," I assented, somewhat nettled at the idea that a young lady should give me points on running a ship. "I always do, always do unto the crew or those coolies the same as I would expect them to do to me—if I was the same kind of rascal they are—and if our places were exchanged. There can be only one man in charge of the deck, the watch officer, and he's responsible for everything that happens. And if I would be so bold as to give you a bit of advice, I should say to you, for God's sake don't try any foolishness on those yellow-skins while they are under my charge. It'll only make trouble, and there'll be enough of that, anyhow, by the way things look."
"What do you mean?" asked Miss Aline.
"I mean that Yellow Dog, as the skipper calls him, that big Chink, is not liking ship's discipline already. If you will go near the door of the alleyway when they open it you will smell the fumes of opium strong enough to knock you down. They don't pretend to obey orders, and the company makes us carry them and take care of them like they were babies. We can't even search them or offer any kind of protest—they'd refuse to come if the contract was not drawn that way."
"Well, be kind to them, be always lenient with them," said Miss Aline, in a tone so different, so pleading that I gave up. "Don't yell at them like I heard you to-day. It isn't dignified, it isn't right—you will be good to them, now, won't you?—just try it and see if it don't work."
"Ho, well, I'll try to do the best I can, of course," I answered, thinking of the stout pirate with the hangers. "Yes, I'll try to be just as kind as I possibly can—of course, I'll promise you that—that's the skipper's orders, you know."
The steward had already brought the mess things for the cabin, and the lady went below to join her aunt and the old man—and Slade. The mate was not standing for my line of talk, as I could see by the way Miss Aline spoke, and it made me warm to think that a mate of Slade's attainments should be so mushy as to snicker and grin when I told him how things stood.
"'Keep solid with the passengers'—that's one of the old rules in the express steamers, you know—'keep right with the ladies,'" he said, grinning at me when I mentioned the missionary work the young lady had undertaken. "And, by the way, lend me a couple of your clean collars—you won't need them right away, and I do."
"I'll do nothing of the kind," I answered shortly.
"Oh, don't get rattled because I've got the inside route. Don't be mad, old man, because I've gained the weather of you. All's fair in the game. And between you and me, if the Chink gets gay with you, bang him on the nut for fair, and I'll slip in with you—if it's dark. But you don't want to queer me below. Now, be sane, and come across with those collars. I'm young and single—and mate, see?"