Jack gave a long look round the heaving horizon, but no sail broke the monotony of rushing sea and sky. He then went and sounded the pumps, and was well satisfied. "An hour's work will pump her dry," he remarked to the cowpuncher. "We'll get sail on her first, though." Then, "All hands make sail!" he sang out cheerily, dropping naturally into the position of leader. "Jim, you're an active nipper and quicker than the rest of us; jump up an' cast the gaskets off the main-topsails." "Aye, aye, sir," returned the boy, with a twinkle in his eye and an emphasis on the "sir." But Jack never noticed it. He was too busily employed trying to make Lobu understand that he had to get off his haunches and add his weight and muscle as they mustered at the lower-topsail sheets. "Warble out one o' them chanties o' yours, Jack," called the cowboy. "They helps a man to brace back on a rope a whole lot." Thereupon Jack struck up an old sea legend about a drowned sailor, who married a mermaid and had an unpleasant habit of climbing up ships' cables and frightening their crews. Taking the upper-topsail halliards to a small capstan aft, they tramped round strongly to the weird sailor song, in the wild chorus of which even Tari joined: "And it's blow, ye winds, heigh-ho! Blow, ye winds, heigh-ho! Blow away the mist and snow! And it's blow, ye winds, heigh-ho!" Before dark the _Ocmulgee_ was plunging heavily along under two lower-topsails, main upper-topsail, reefed foresail and staysails, close hauled on the port tack. The spanker was also set, without the head being hauled out. By this time all hands were pretty well wearied, besides being very keen set, and some of Tari's cooking was demolished with many grimaces. Then, leaving Jim at the wheel, they turned to again to rid the ship of water, and it was close on two bells in the first watch before the cheerful sound of the pumps sucking greeted their ears. Leaving Lobu to resume his religious duties before the ebony image, the rest of the small ship's company assembled round the wheel, and held a counsel of ways and means. "Wall, Jack," said Broncho, opening the debate, "you-alls bein' the old he-coon of this outfit, we awaits your remyarks as to what trail you allows we'd better pull our freight on to. We-alls wants to be posted as to how the kyards are stackin' up, an' how we're to play our hands to emerge victors out o' this here onexpected racket." "I reckon we ought to be somewhere near Pitcairn or the Paumotus in less than ten days," replied the rover easily. "At Pitcairn we can get fresh fruit and vegetables. From there we can jog across to Papeete, the port of Tahiti, hand the _Ocmulgee_ over to the American consul, and take schooner for Frisco."