192 THE GAM. 



" Yes, Bilge," shouted the Social Pump, u tell 

 'em about that ' much-good ' coffee." 



" Well, boys," Bilge Dennet resumed, " we get 

 bully good coffee aboard o' this here barkie, an' 

 you can bet your spare yards on that. An' 

 when them Ay-rabs come on board to trade, 

 the steward, bless his soul, he'd lure the whole 

 school of 'em into the cabin an' treat 'em to hot 

 coffee all round. An' that jolly flunky knows 

 how to mix the drink so it'll lift your hair like 

 a flaw o' wind. It's the real thing — none o' 

 your water-bewitched, / tell you ! " 



" Kind o' lives up to the rule they have in Ryo 

 Janeero, I reckon," added the Experienced Man, 

 parenthetically. " Jolly good rule, too, b'gosh ! " 



" What's that? " queried Bilge Dennett. 



" Why, them yellow-belly Portugees say, ' Cof- 

 fee, to be Al, must be black as night, strong as 

 death, an' hot as hell ! ' — that's the rule, b'gosh, 

 an' you can bet your rudder them Dagoes lives up 

 to it ! " 



" Ay aye," said Bilge, " that's the chart our 

 flunky sails by, bless his tarry soul, an' he never 

 let's the doctor touch the mixture when he wants 

 to come out extra man-o'-war-fashion. An' as I 

 was sayin', mess-mates, them turban Ay-rabs took 

 to it like whales take to water. 



