"'Tain't reg'lar to have the second mate in the cabin. He'll have t'eat with us if he bunks there," argued the master. "He'll have to keep his watch on deck when we eat, and I reckon he'll have to take his grub alone," reasoned the mate. "I'd ruther live in the deck-house with the crew," said Christy. "But there ain't no room thar," added Graines, who thought his superior had made the remark simply to keep up his character. "Let him come into the cabin, then," said Captain Sullendine, in order to settle the question. "Now, Bokes, take this apple-jack, and show the other six to the deck-house. Give 'em one or two drinks all round. It'll do 'em good." Bokes obeyed the order, after the master had lighted another lantern for his use, and he went over the bales of cotton to the seamen. Captain Sullendine remarked with great complacency that he always treated his men well, gave them enough to eat and drink, and he thought the apple-jack he had sent them would do them good. He liked to be liberal with his crew, for he believed a tot of grog would go further with them than "cussin' 'em;" and the two mates did not gainsay him, though they believed in neither grog nor "cussin'." Though Christy never drank a drop of intoxicating fluid under any circumstances, and Graines almost never, both of them believed that "apple-jack" had been a very serviceable ally during the night so far. Rut they considered it useful only in the hands of the enemy, and they were sorry to see the bottles sent forward for the use of Belleviters; for they were afraid some of them might muddle and tangle their brains with the fiery liquor. "Come, mates, let's go down into the cabin now," continued the captain, descending the ladder without waiting for them. "I will go forward for a few minutes, Charley," whispered Christy in the ear of the engineer, who followed the captain below. When the lieutenant reached the deck-house he found the men there, with Bokes in the act of taking a long pull at one of the bottles, while French was holding the other. "Here's the second mate," said the seaman with the bottle. "You can keep the bottle you have, Bokes," said Christy. "Now go aft with it." The sleepy sailor was willing enough to obey such a welcome order, and the lieutenant took the other bottle to the side and emptied it into the water. The men did not object, and the new second mate joined the master in the cabin. CHAPTER VIII ON BOARD OF THE COTTON SCHOONER Probably some, if not all, of the six men in the deck-house of the West Wind were in the habit of taking intoxicating liquors when they were ashore, and when it was served out on board of the ship in conformity with the rules and traditions of the navy. The commander and his executive officer labored for the promotion of total abstinence among the officers and crew. More than the usual proportion of the men commuted their "grog ration" for money, through the influence of the principal officers.