"That watch was given to me by the man I love, Filipo," said Pauline.

"You won't-boil it--or anything, will you?"

As Filipo took the tiny diamond-scarred timepiece from Pauline's hand there was a sound as of some one choking at the top of the steps.

The cook sprang to the deck, but there was no one in sight. He returned to Pauline, while Blinky Boyd, gasping more from astonishment than fear, reeled up to Owen and Hicks on the forward deck.

"She's gone clean crazy," he panted. "She treats that there cook as if he was a nat'ral human man instid of a sea-rovin' gorilla, worse'n the one I beat In Afriky."

"No more gorillas for a while, Blinky," commanded Hicks. "What's happened now?"

"She's gone an' guv him her jooled watch to boil eggs by," said the pirate.

"By George, we will have to do something with that fellow," muttered Hicks to Owen as they walked away.

"Do suthin' to him!" Blinky Boyd was fuming in the wake of Owen and Hicks on their stroll up deck. "Do everythin' to him; make 'im walk the old board; draw'n quarter 'im. Didn't he attempt me life an' ain't he at present engaged in stealin' the fambly jewels?"

"Well, have you got any ideas?" asked Owen.

"The first thing," whispered Blinky, "is to git him under the in-floo-ence of licker. They never was no cook could stand up agin'

the disgraceful habit o' takin' too much and doin' too little. Get 'im under the in-floo-ence."

"And then what?"

"Then--well, ain't they a lot o' good blue water floatin' around atop the fishes? Ain't they some accommodatin' sharks swimmin' atop the water?"

"That's a bit crude--just to throw a man overboard for nothing," said Owen, willing to arouse Boyd's anger.

"Fer nothin'? Didn't he insult the master o' this ship. Ain't he tried to starve us to death? Fer wot kind o' nothin', says I." Boyd smote his caving chest in emphasis of his accusations.

"And he would have the diamond watch on him in case he should be picked up," suggested Hicks quietly.

"That's so," said Owen. "He would have been swimming to sh.o.r.e with the stolen watch and drowned."

"But, of course, he would swim to sh.o.r.e, unless--well, it's a case of making sure beforehand. We could persuade him to go in and try to kill Blinky here while Blinky's asleep--then rush in and finish him. Even Pauline was a witness to the attack he made on Blinky this afternoon."

The pirate's glowing countenance suddenly, went white.

"Not this trip," he said fervently. "I ain't goin' to kill no man in a trap like that. I'm goin' to see it done fair and square in the open --with plenty o' drink in 'im an' 'is conscience clear. I wouldn't see no man die with murder in 'is heart fer me."

"I don't like it," said Owen nervously. "I don't like the idea of doing too much. We've got one big piece of work to do that concerns her." He nodded in the direction of the cabin. "Dye mean to say we can't get a poor half-breed cook off this boat without killing him?

Why not discharge him?"

Hicks uttered a grim chuckle. "I must say I never thought of that.

Get a boat manned, will you, Boyd, and we'll put him ash.o.r.e within half an hour."

"All hands for'ard," bellowed the pirate's voice. The "all hands" were Owen, Hicks, the pirate and Pauline.

"Why all hands? Can't you handle the cook yourself?" said Owen.

"Not to put that cook ash.o.r.e--ye need a navy," said Boyd.

Backed by Owen and Hicks, he moved to the cabin.

"You, cook, there--ye're fired. Get off the boat. Yer kerriage waits," he cried down at the busy Filipo.

Filipo shuffled almost meekly toward the speaker. He saw the skiff alongside and Hicks and Owen nearby.

"Grab 'im," ordered the pirate. "Here's the irons." He produced a pair of rusty handcuffs that had been brought along, among other ominous-looking junk, to impress Pauline.

But Filipo was not "fired" yet. With a sudden long-distance lunge he knocked down the pirate, who, thought he was at a safe distance. But Hicks, who had been well schooled in street-fight tactics, thoughtfully stuck out a leg and tripped the cook, who fell upon the groaning Boyd.

Boyd, though down, was by no means "out," and held Filipo tight while Owen and Hicks slipped on the handcuffs.

"Now to the boat with 'im an' dump 'im ash.o.r.e wherever It looks hottest an' hungriest."

"Yah," he snarled in the face of the prostrate cook, "ye don't interfere no more with the capting of this here vessel. I hopes ye--"

But his sentence was cut short, or rather it ended in a shriek of pain and fright, as the cook, suddenly swinging himself from his shoulders, landed a terrifically propelled right foot in the pirate's middle.

He was pinned down again the next moment, but Boyd's yell had penetrated to the cabin.

"What is the matter--who is hurt?" cried Pauline, rushing to the group on deck.

"We have had to order this fellow put ash.o.r.e. He has twice attacked Boyd, and besides he is useless as a cook," explained Owen.

"You will a.s.suredly do nothing of the sort," announced Pauline. "You will take those horrid iron things right off and set him free."

"But, my dear Miss Marvin, he is a desperate man. It is dangerous."

"What did we come here for but to get into danger?" cried Pauline.

"Besides, Filipo is the most interesting person on the ship. I have just devoted a chapter to him in my book, and if you think I'm going to spoil my book because Mr. Boyd gets hurt, or the potatoes aren't done, you're much mistaken."

Owen obediently knelt and unlocked the clumsy handcuffs.

"You are free, Filipo," said Pauline with the air of a proud princess releasing a serf.

"No fired?" grunted Filipo. "Too bad. b.u.m job."

"Now go back to the kitchen, and promise not to strike Mr. Boyd any more."

"No hit 'um. Boil 'um. Three minutes; stick fork in hum," said the cook with a cannibal glare at the still writhing pirate.

He shuffled off to his pots and pans. Blinky scrambled to his bunk, and Pauline retired to elaborate the fascinating character of Filipo in another chapter of her book of adventure.

She did not realize how late it was when at last she put down her pen and moved with soft, slippered steps to the door of the cabin.

Over the great vault of the heavens the stars were sprinkled like silver dust. The boat rolled softly, dreamily on the listless waters.

A cool breeze scented with the fragrance of the spicy land cooled her brow. She realized that her little stateroom had been very stuffy. It was beautiful here in the hushed night alone. She moved out on deck.