SLIM GOES ON STRIKE 189 



" I'll show him up, all right," was Slim's part- 

 ing shot. 



Slim came back from the cabin a little later. 



" I told 'em everything," he said. " They 

 listened to everything I had to say and took 

 down a lot of notes in a book. I asked 'em to 

 take me off the brig right away, for, says I, 

 Captain Shorey will kill me if they leave me 

 aboard. I guess they'll take me off." 



An hour later, the two officers of the Corwin 

 emerged from the cabin, accompanied by Cap- 

 tain Shorey. They were puffing complacently 

 at a couple of the captain's cigars. They 

 seemed in high good humor. After shaking 

 hands with Captain Shorey, they climbed down 

 into their boat and were rowed back to their 

 vessel. That was the last we ever saw of them. 

 Poor Slim was left to his fate. 



And his fate was a rough one. There was 

 no outward change in the attitude of the captain 

 or the officers of the brig toward him. When- 

 ever they spoke to him, they did it with as much 

 civility as they showed the rest of us. But Slim 

 was compelled to work on deck all day and stand 



