“How do you run it ashore?” asked the detective, innocently.

“Make a trip with us and we’ll show you how the thing is done; the fact is I’m a man or two short, and if you want to take a rake in with us you’re welcome.”

“That’s just the ticket for me!” answered Spencer Vance.

Our readers must understand that the detective had been wonderfully diplomatic and cute to so readily, worm himself into the confidence of Ike Denman.

The men at length went to sleep and slept far into the morning.  Ike Denman was the first to awake, seemingly, but in reality the detective had been on the alert all the time.

The master of the “Nancy” was quite a different man in the morning when burning under the after-effects of liquor than he was when in the full fever of a jolly spell.  As he opened his eyes and saw our hero stretched upon the deck, he gave him a lunge in the ribs, and as Vance opened his eyes, Denman exclaimed: 

“Hello! what are you snoozing there for, old man?”

The detective was on his feet in a moment.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

Denman appeared to have forgotten who our hero was, but in reality he was only pretending to forget.

Denman was a good sailor, and a very cunning man; but at heart he was a very ugly and desperate fellow, and not at all distinguished by any of the generous traits usually characteristic of jolly tars.

“What’s the matter, captain?”

“What’s the matter?  I’m asking you who you are, and what you are doing here?”

The detective came a little nearer, and assumed a surprised air.

“Don’t stand there, making sober faces.  Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

Denman was conscious that he was given to talking too much when in his cups, and he was leading the new hand on to betray just how much had been revealed to him.

“You shipped me last night, captain.”

“I shipped you last night?”

“Yes; but if you don’t want me as one of your crew, I’m willing.”

“Who are you, anyhow?”

“My name is Ballard.  I told you who I was last night.”

“What did you tell me?”

“See here, captain, it ain’t necessary to go over all that passed between us last night.  If you don’t wart to take me on with you, say so, and I’ll get ashore.”

Denman laughed in a merry manner, and said: 

“I reckon it’s all right.”

“I can prove it’s all right, captain.”

“How so?”

Ballard ran his eye over the yacht’s rigging, and said: 

“Would you take any suggestions from a man who had plenty of experience in crafts of this sort?”

“I would; yes.”

The detective who really was a splendid seaman, made some very pertinent and useful suggestions, and Denman was just sailor enough to appreciate that he had secured a useful man; and he said: