"If we do, Cantwell won't be captain, but he may be a lieutenant; and that is almost as bad." "We won't cry till we are hurt, then," said De Forrest; "though I think something ought to be done to keep us out of such a scrape in the future. I have a plan in my head, which, I think, would work first rate, and be a fair thing for all." "What is it?" asked Beckwith. "I'll tell you. As the matter now stands, a fellow may jump from the steerage into the captain's cabin without any experience at all in commanding, especially, as during the last month, when we are running about on shore, and we don't do much in seamanship." "But you know that this struggle for rank puts the fellows on their good behavior; and the principal would lose his sheet anchor if the present system were abandoned." "I don't propose to abandon it entirely. I would like to have the first five officers made elective." "You would have the captain and the four lieutenants chosen by ballot?" asked Beckwith, interested in the plan. "Precisely so." "But the fellows in the steerage could have it all their own way under such a plan. They could make Clyde Blacklock, Sandford, or any such fellow captain." "No, you haven't heard me out. The captain and the four lieutenants shall be chosen from the cabin officers only." "I rather like that." "Any fellow will see that it is a fair thing." "And who would be candidates for masters, pursers, and lieutenants?" asked Beckwith. "They must obtain their rank by their merit. By my plan, ten of the fifteen cabin officers of the ship must get their positions by their scholarship, conduct, and seamanship, just as they do now; but the captain or lieutenant must first have served as master, purser, or midshipman. Then a fellow can't be captain till he has served at least one month as a cabin officer." "The plan pleases me; but of course we can't tell how it would work without a trial." "It would work first rate. As the matter now stands, no officer has any inducement to please anybody but the principal and the instructors, who give him his marks. By my plan he would have to keep on the right side of his inferiors in rank, or they would throw him over at the next election." "And there would be lots of electioneering for office," laughed Beckwith. "Well, that would give us a little excitement. Besides, we are all to be American citizens, and we ought to learn how these things are done. Under this plan Cantwell wouldn't behave as he does now in the cabin. He is nothing but a lump of selfishness. He wouldn't take all the breast of the chicken, or drown his coffee with the last gill of milk on board. I have been thinking of this thing for a week, and have talked it over with some of the fellows. All that I have spoken with like it first rate." "I do." "I am going to get up a petition to the principal, asking him to make this change in the system, and I want to get every fellow's name upon it."