Now, the ordinary form of receipt to which a seaman puts his signature when signing clear bears upon its reverse side a series of blank spaces, which the captain must fill in.  These blanks provide for mention of the date of signing on, date of discharge, station held on vessel and remarks.  On none of the vouchers of the Retriever’s last voyage, however, did the name of Matthew Peasley appear.

“Must have shipped in San Francisco just before the vessel sailed for her loading port,” Cappy announced.  “Send in a boy.”

One of Cappy’s young men was summoned.

“Son,” said Cappy, “you run down, like a good boy, to the office of the Deputy United States Shipping Commissioner and tell him Mr. Ricks would like to see the duplicate copy of the crew list of the barkentine Retriever.”

When an American vessel clears for a foreign port the law required that her crew shall be signed on before a Deputy United States Shipping Commissioner, who furnishes a certified copy of the crew list to the captain and retains a duplicate for his own files.

The Blue Star youth returned presently with his duplicate list, on consulting which, to his unspeakable amazement, Cappy Ricks discovered that Matthew Peasley had shipped aboard the Retriever as an able seaman, and that the first mate was one William Olson—­which goes to prove that in the heat of passion a skipper will often discharge a mate on the eve of sailing for a foreign port and forget to tell the Deputy Shipping Commissioner anything about it.

“Remarkable,” Cappy declared.  “Ree-markable!”

“Dirty work here,” Mr. Skinner announced.  “Captain dead and a common A.B. cabling us for authority to draw drafts as captain, while posing as first mate.  Nigger in the woodpile somewhere, Mr. Ricks.”

“I’ll smoke him out in five minutes, Skinner.  Ring up the local inspectors and inquire if, by any chance, they have ever issued a captain’s license to one Matthew Peasley.”

Skinner obeyed.  After a brief wait he was informed that the said Peasley had an unlimited license as first mate of sail, and was entitled to act as second mate of steam vessels up to five hundred tons net register.

“Nothing doing!” Cappy piped.  “Skinner, when a mate with an unlimited license ships before the mast, there’s A reason!”

“Drunkard!” Mr. Skinner suggested without an instant’s hesitation.

“Eggs-actly, Skinner.  Good seaman, I daresay, but worthless and unreliable in an executive capacity, and I can’t trust a ripping fine barkentine like the Retriever with that kind of man.  I suppose he feels the hankering for a spree coming on right now.  Skinner, if we gave the man Peasley permission to draw drafts he’d paint Cape Town red.  I feel it in my bones.”

“So do I, sir.”

“What vessels have we in port at this moment, Skinner?”

“McBride is discharging the Nokomis at Oakland Long Wharf.”