Murray stood back and looked humorously over Captain Kettle.  The pair of them liked one another well, but the ties of discipline had kept them icily apart up to now.  Murray’s promotion put them on equal footing of grade now, and they were inclined to make the most of it for the short time they had together.  “Running the Parakeet doesn’t seem to have made you very plump, Skipper.”

“Constitutional, I guess,” said Kettle.  “I don’t believe the food’s grown that’d make me carry flesh.  I’m one of those men that was sent into the world with a whole shipload of bad luck to work through before I came across any of the soft things.”

“If you ask me,” said Murray, cheerfully, “you haven’t much to grumble at now.  Here am I kicking you out of the command of the Parakeet, to be sure.  And why?  Because whilst you’ve been her old man you’ve made her pay about half what she originally cost per annum, and as out of that the firm’s saved enough to build a new and bigger ship, they’re naturally going to give her to you to scare up more fat dividends.  Lord,” said Murray, hitting his knee, “the chaps on board here will be calling me the ‘old man’ behind my back now.”

“You’ll get used to hearing the title,” said Kettle grimly, “before you make your pile.  You’ll get married, I suppose, on the strength of the promotion?  I saw a girl’s photo nailed up in your room.”

The new captain nodded.  “Got engaged when I passed for my master’s ticket.  Arranged to be hitched so soon as I found a ship.”

Kettle sighed drearily.  “I was that way, my lad.  I was married, and a kid had come before I was thirty.  Not that I ever regretted it; by James! no.  But for long enough I was never able to provide for the missus in the way I’d like, and I can tell you it was terrible gall to me to know that our set at the chapel looked down on her because she could only keep a poor home.  Yes, my lad, you’ll have a lot to go through.”

“Well,” said Murray, “I’ve got this promotion, and I’m not going to worry about dismals.  I suppose you go straight home by mail from Aden here?”

“Hullo, haven’t they told you?”

“My letter was only the dry, formal announcement that you were promoted to the new ship, and I was to take over the Parakeet.”

“They don’t waste their typewriter in the office.  I suppose they thought I’d hand on my letter if I saw fit.  Read through that,” said Kettle, and handed across his news.  This is how it ran:—­

     BIRD, BIRD & CO.,
     Ship and Insurance Brokers,
     Agents to the Bird
     Transport Company. 
     Managers of the
     Bird Steam Company.

[Illustration]

     759, Euston Street,
     LIVERPOOL,
     21st March, 1896.