After the merriment had ended, and the Captain's pipe had been recovered and lit, Ralph said: "Grandpop, there's a story in that old book of yours about the way that the poor coolies were deceived in the East Indies and taken to other countries to work as slaves. Do you know any stories about them?" The old sailor nodded an affirmative. Ralph was all excitement in a moment. "Oh, tell the story, grandpop, please! When did it happen, and what is it about?" Captain Sterling allowed a cloud of smoke to float slowly upward in front of him in order to screen the look of mischief in his gray eyes, then answered, "It happened a good many years ago, Ralph, and it is about a ship that I was an officer on when she was in the coolie trade." Ralph jumped to his feet in amazement. "Grandfather," he said, with a break in his voice, "you don't mean that _you_ were once little better than a negro-slaver? It can't be true. You're only fooling; now tell the truth, grandpop." The ashes in the bowl of his pipe seemed to require all of the Captain's attention as he replied, quite meekly, "Yes, Ralph, it's kinder tough to admit it, but the truth is I was once a member of the crew of the most noted 'coolie packet' in the business." Seeing the grieved, reproachful look on Ralph's face, the Captain added: "Of course it may make you think a little better of your grandfather when I tell you that I would not have joined such a vessel willingly, and that I did not know her character until I was on board." Ralph hurried to his grandfather's side, passed his arm affectionately around the old man's neck, and said, in a relieved way: "I'm so glad you said that, grandpop, because I wouldn't want to know that my grandfather had ever been a coolie-stealer. And now, after scaring a fellow so badly, the least you can do to make things square is to tell the story in your best style, which you would call 'ship-shape and Bristol fashion.'" "All right, my boy, I'll do penance in that way; and now to begin: