“I wish to give thanks, O Lord,” said he, raising his eyes toward the skylight and dropping his voice into a dignified tone, “for thy kind mercy in delivering us from the perils of the deep.  Make us duly thankful for thy mercy and for the food thou hast seen fit to place before us.”

“Amen,” sounded a gruff voice beside me.

I looked at Andrews, but he appeared to pay no attention whatever to what was transpiring.  Then I turned to Sackett to see if he had taken offence.

The stout, ruddy-faced skipper seemed to be changed to stone for an instant, and his fixed glare was full upon Andrews.

The ruffian appeared to enjoy the situation, for he gave a fierce snort and turned his face to the skipper.

“No offence, old man, sit down and eat your grub.  There’s no use working up unchristian-like feeling between us simply because I’m not going to let any damn foolishness stand between me and my vittles.  Eat while ye may, says I, and God bless you for a kind-hearted, gentle skipper.  You says yourself that the Lord helps them as helps themselves, which goes to show I’ll just make a stab for another piece o’ that junk before some other son of a gun runs afoul of it an’ helps himself.  Which would be goin’, o’ course, agin the will o’ the Lord.”

Sackett hardly breathed.  His face turned purple with rage.  Andrews took no notice of him save to draw a revolver from his pocket and place it on the table beside his plate.

“Sit down and eat, papa,” said Miss Sackett, who was at his right hand, and as she did so she placed her hand upon his shoulder.

The touch of his daughter’s hand seemed to bring the skipper back to his senses, or rather seemed to enable him to thrust his present feelings aside for her sake.  He sat down and stared at Andrews for fully a minute, while that ruffian ate and winked ofttimes at Mr. Bell.  Once in a while he would give a loud snort and hold his face upward for an instant.  Then a sour smile would play around his ugly mouth as though he enjoyed his humor intensely.  The third officer frowned severely at him several times, and then asked in his silly voice if he would please behave himself.

The effect was altogether too ludicrous to be borne.  Miss Sackett smiled in spite of herself and I almost laughed outright.  Then, feeling sorry for my host, I began to eat as an excuse to hide my feelings.  Sackett ate little, and in silence.  When he was through, he arose and left for the deck, leaving the rest of us at the table.  Miss Sackett followed him quickly, as though she instinctively felt what might happen if she remained.

I sat there looking at Andrews for some moments.  He raised his head several times and gave forth his peculiar snort, smiling at Mr. Bell.  “Young fellow,” said he, slowly, “we’ve had a turn or two, an’ nothin’ much has come of it.  Let’s shake an’ call it square.”  And he held out his hand toward me.