WANTED : A " DUTCHMAN " 



for medical comforts ? " I agreed that it would, and 

 we had a " conviviality." When this bottle had gone 

 we had a very dull time for two days on tea, coffee 

 and ship's lime-juice. It was one Sunday morning. 

 We had got a nice ten-knot breeze about two points 

 abaft the beam with everything drawing; he should 

 have been going twelve, but was flying light and not 

 too clean, having been in harbour for five months. 



" She worries me a bit ; as she don't steer well with 

 all this grass on her." I myself had noticed this during 

 one or two bits of bad weather. " If they would only 

 spend a bit dry-docking the ships," he added, " they 

 would save a bit in wages, wouldn't they ? " I could 

 see that he was not himself. He was not smoking, 

 and I had followed his example and we had both got 

 a bit off the plug in our teeth. Looking over the rail 

 ' to leeward he said to me : 



" How much do you think she is doing ? " 



" About eight," I replied. (I have explained that 

 I have had many a long voyage — unprofessionally.) 

 We walked over to the weather rail on the poop and 

 had a look round in the apparently aimless way one 

 does at sea. " What are the chances of getting some 

 liquor ? " I asked. 



" Perhaps we shall fall in with a Dutchman," he said, 

 " and get some more Schnapps." 



" Are you sure there is only one bottle of brandy ? " 

 I asked him. 



" Quite," he replied ; " and I have locked up that 

 in the medicine chest." 



" You don't look very well. Captain," I began. 

 " There is a sort of something about you, as if a little 

 quinine would do you good. You look pale. Did you 

 eat anything at breakfast that tasted funny ? I didn't 

 touch that dry hash myself ? " I added insinuatingly. 



H 113 



