The two mates stood scowling over the poop-rail at the mob of well-battered and singularly tattered men, who clustered in a sullen, silent group on the maindeck. The mate, taking the first pick, slowly threw his eyes over the crowd in hesitation. Then he called out Hank, a long, tough Yankee already mentioned, who lurched leisurely to the port side. A whirling belaying-pin interrupted his meditations, and Black Davis roared like an angry lion. "Snakes alive, d'yew think we're goin' ter idle 'round all day while y're takin' a pasear? Skip, ye great, long, whisky-soakin' swab." Hank did skip with remarkable agility as the pin whistled past him. Then came the second mate's turn. "Hyeh, yew, what's your ugly name?" he cried, pointing to Jack. "Derringer, sir," answered the rolling-stone. "Git over to starboard, Mister Derringer, sir!" he growled, and there was vitriol in his voice. He had not forgotten that throw of Jack's whilst towing out, and there was murder in his heart as he glared at the Britisher. Muller, the big German, was the mate's next choice, whilst Pat was taken by Barker. Thus the watch-picking proceeded, but not without one or two further enlivening incidents. Pinto reaped a black eye for not saying "Sir" when answering the mate, and Sam, a big buck nigger, was rolled in the scuppers for spitting on the deck. To his great satisfaction the cowpuncher found himself in the same watch as Jack Derringer, in which were also Pat, Hollins, the cockney, Curly, the singer of the chanty "Away, Rio," who was a runaway English apprentice, Bedrock Ben, and the disabled Red Bill, the watch being completed by a man who called himself Studpoker Bob. This last was one of those characters peculiar to Western America, who gain a living by dealing faro and studhorse poker in mining camp saloons. He had, of course, been shanghaied, and being a fatalist, like all gamblers, accepted his unpleasant position with apparent resignation. He was a long, scraggy individual with a thin, cadaverous face, shifty yellow eyes, and a huge jutting moustache. In the port watch were Hank, Muller, Pedro, the Chilian dago, and his side-partner, Angelino, a Portuguee, Pinto, the freckled hobo, Jimmy Green, Sam, and the wretched ship's-boy, who answered simply to the appellation of "the kid." Of the idlers, the bosun has already received attention. Chips was a quiet, harmless Norwegian named Hansen. There was no sailmaker; the steward was a nonentity and a tool of the old man's; whilst Lung, the cook, was one of those unfathomable Chinamen. The starboard watch were now sent below until 4 p.m., and were speedily at work bandaging their many wounds, and putting their side of the foc's'le shipshape. Red Bill went aft, and Captain Riley, an adept in such matters from much practice, skilfully set his broken arm. Curly, being the youngest man in the watch, was appointed to the post of "peggy," and went off to the galley to fetch the dinner forward.