Matt finished his chapter of Sinful Peck just as All Hands And Feet, followed by a Cape Town gentleman and two Kru boys, bearing respectively a brown canvas telescope basket and a sea chest, bore down upon him, convoyed by Mr. Murphy.

“A big Swede skipper,” Matt Peasley soliloquized, as he eyed the stranger with alert interest.  “Thunder, but he’s big.  He’s the biggest thing I ever saw walking on two legs, with the exception of a trick elephant.”  He rose, put down his book and advanced to greet his visitors.  While All Hands And Feet was still fully thirty feet from him he bawled aloud: 

“You ban Mr. Peasley?”

“Captain Peasley,” young Matt corrected him.  “Since the death of Captain Kendall I have been in charge of the vessel; hence, for the present, I am known as Captain Peasley.  What can I do for you, gentlemen?”

All Hands And Feet glanced appraisingly at Matt Peasley and did him the honor to remove his coat and vest.

“Yes; it’s pretty hot down in these latitudes,” Matt remarked, by way of being pleasant and making conversation.

All Hands And Feet removed an envelope from his coat pocket and handed it to Matt; and while the latter perused it the big Swede strode to the scuttle butt and helped himself to a drink of water.  Matt opened the envelope and read this communication from Cappy Ricks: 

San Francisco, California. 
February 20, 19—.

Mr. Matthew Peasley,
Chief Mate Barkentine Retriever,
Cape Town, South Africa.

My Dear Mr. Peasley: 

Cast your eye along the lines of the bearer of this note, Captain Ole Peterson, who comes to Cape Town to take command of the Retriever.  Within five minutes he will, acting under instructions from me and without the slightest personal animus toward yourself, proceed to administer to you the beating of a lifetime.  By the time he gets through wiping the deck with you perhaps you will realize the necessity, in the future, of obeying orders from your owners.

In your cablegram received to-day, you take occasion to remind us that no manager or owner has authority to disrate a ship’s officer.  This is quite true.  Such authority is vested only in the master of the ship.  You need have no fear for your job, however.  We believe you to be a clever first mate, otherwise Captain Kendall would not have dug you up out of the forecastle; and believing this, naturally we dislike the thought of disrating you.  We have, therefore, instructed Captain Peterson to retain you in your berth as first mate.

However, in view of the fact that we have informed him of your amiable intentions of throwing him overboard, he will first inculcate in you that spirit of respect to your superiors which you so manifestly lack.  He will then dip you into the drink, to bring you to, and after that you will kindly go forward and break out the anchor.