“What time did Matt Peasley leave this office after the battle yesterday?”

“I should say in the neighborhood of half after three.”

“Hum!  Ahem!  Harump-h-h!  The banks close at three, and they do not reopen for business until ten this morning.  It is now exactly a quarter of nine.  Has Matt Peasley had time to procure a certified check since he arrived from Panama—­or has he not?”

“The situation admits of no argument,” Mr. Skinner admitted.

“Exactly!  He didn’t have time yesterday, and he sha’n’t have time to-day, and to-morrow will be too late, because his money is due us to-day!  We shall lift all those libels and free the Tillicum for him; then we shall make formal demand upon him for eighteen thousand dollars, in cash or certified check—­we can legally decline his check unless certified—­and when he fails to make good we formally cancel the charter.  Then what happens?  I’ll tell you.  We grab the boat with a full cargo from him as he grabbed it from Morrow & Company with a full cargo.  Then we collect the freight on that northbound cargo as he collected the freight on the southbound cargo, and,” Cappy continued calmly, “I dare say that freight money will put us in the clear on all those bills we’re stuck for.”

“And to do all this,” Skinner remarked sententiously, “it is necessary to tie up Matt Peasley’s bank account the instant the bank opens this morning.”

“Skinner,” said Cappy feelingly, “you get me almost before I get myself.  Now listen, while I give you your orders:  Go right up to our attorney’s office, take our copy of the charter with you, explain that Matt has defaulted in his payments, and instruct our attorney to enter suit to collect.  Tell him to get the complaint out and filed within three-quarters of an hour, and then, the instant he has filed the suit, he is to get out a writ of attachment on the Pacific Shipping Company’s bank account.”

“But we cannot do that, Mr. Ricks.  We must make formal, written demand for the payments in arrears before we can proceed to force collection—­”

“Certainly.  We’ll do that after we’ve tied up his bank account.”

“But when we get into court we’ll be nonsuited because we didn’t do that first.”

“I sincerely hope so.  But in the meanwhile we’ve tied up Matt’s bank account, and while we’re arguing the merits of our action in so doing, another sun will have set, and when it rises again”—­Cappy kissed his hand airily into space—­“the good ship Tillicum will be back under the Blue Star Flag—­”

“But Matt Peasley will allege conspiracy and a lot of things, and he can sue us and get the boat back and force us to render an accounting of that freight money.”

“That situation will admit of much argument, Skinner.  However, Matt will not sue me.  Florry wouldn’t let him!  He’ll make us lift the attachment on his bank account, and then he’ll protect himself and tell us to whistle for the eighteen thousand dollars he owes us.  Whichever way the cat jumps he wins.  What I want to do is break even and with a modicum of my self-respect left intact.”