“If I had only known!” groaned Skinner miserably.

“Besides,” Matt continued brightly, “I have a cargo in that vessel, and she’s under charter to my company at six hundred dollars a day.  Of course you know very well, Mr. Ricks, that while the United States Marshal remains in charge of her I cannot discharge an ounce of that cargo or move the ship, or—­er—­anything.  Well, naturally that will be no fault of the Pacific Shipping Company, Mr. Ricks.  It will be up to the Blue Star Navigation Company to file a bond and lift that libel in order that I may have some use of the ship I have chartered from you.  If you do not pull the plaster off of her of course I’ll have to sue you for heavy damages; and I can refuse to pay you any moneys due you.”

“We’ll lift the libel in an hour,” Mr. Skinner declared dramatically; and he took down the telephone to call up the attorney for the Blue Star.

“Wait!” said Matt.  “I’m not through.  Before I entered the harbor I called all hands up on the boat deck and explained matters to them.  They had been engaged by Morrow & Company, and the firm of Morrow & Company was in the bankruptcy court; so the prospects of cash from that quarter did not seem encouraging.  The Pacific Shipping Company had made a bare-boat charter from the Blue Star Navigation Company, and had then made a similar charter to Morrow & Company; consequently the Pacific Shipping Company would repudiate payment, and, as president and principal stockholder of that company, I took it on myself to repudiate any responsibility then and there.

“Then the crew wanted to know what they should do, and I said:  ’Why, seek the protection of the law, in such cases made and provided.  A seaman is not presumed to have any knowledge of the intricate deals his owners may put through.  All he knows is that he is employed aboard a ship, and if he doesn’t get his money from the charterers at the completion of the voyage he can libel the ship and collect from the owners.  This is a fine new steamer, men, and I, for one, believe she is good for what is owing you all; and if you will assign your claims to the Pacific Shipping Company I will pay them in full and trust to the Blue Star Navigation Company to reimburse me.’  So they did that.

“Now go ahead, Mr. Skinner, and lift the libel I put on the vessel for my first mate’s account, and the instant you get it lifted I’ll slap another libel on her for account of the second mate.  Get rid of the second mate’s claim and up bobs the steward, and so on, ad libitum, e pluribus unum, now and forever, one and inseparable.  I care not what course others may pursue, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Mr. Skinner quietly hung up the telephone receiver.

“And, by the way,” Matt continued, “I forgot to mention that I requested the steward to stay aboard and make the United States Marshal comfortable as soon as he arrived.  In these little matters one might as well be courteous, and I should hate to have the Tillicum acquire a reputation for being cheap and inhospitable.”