"I should try to be fair," answered the first purser, with a struggle to look dignified. "Precisely so! Just as you nominated yourself over the heads of Judson and Norwood, and tried to cut them out." "They worked for themselves, and I only did the same." "If every fellow works for himself, we shall not come out anywhere." "You needn't say anything, Sheridan. You went from first middy up to fourth lieutenant by the voting," said De Forrest. "I went just one place higher than my merit-rank, while you were No. 11, and tried to get into No. 3." "Never mind that now," interposed Beckwith. "Whom shall we elect? That's the question." "I don't think we need trouble ourselves much about that matter," replied De Forrest, gloomily. "The fellows in the steerage will attend to all that, and neither of the two will be taken from the cabin." "I will venture to say that one of the two will be elected from the cabin," said Sheridan. "Do you belong to that secret society, Sheridan?" asked Beckwith. "I do not; but I think that the fellows that manage it mean to be fair." "Humph! They lifted you up." "That's so. They did; but I never asked them to do it, or electioneered with any of them," responded Sheridan. "But can't we do something?" suggested Beckwith. "The vote for captain stood forty-eight to forty; and Cantwell's vote was the strength of the opposition. If we can change five votes, we can elect our men." "Very true; but can you unite your forty votes on two candidates." "Yes; why not?" asked De Forrest, encouraged by this presentation of the subject. "Who shall the candidates be?" inquired Sheridan, with a twinkle of the eye. "You want the two most popular fellows in the ship." "Lincoln for one," said Beckwith. "Good! He runs well with both parties. You can elect him. Who next?" continued Sheridan. "I should like to go for the other," said De Forrest. "I thought so," laughed Sheridan. "Why shouldn't I go, as well as any other fellow?" demanded the first purser. "And why should you in preference to any other fellow? If you want to carry your ticket, you must nominate the other candidate from the steerage. That's fair." "I don't believe in it," protested De Forrest. "I won't vote for a fellow in the steerage." "Precisely so. Then you, and such fellows as you, will throw the election into the hands of the secret society. That's the whole of it. Be fair, and the steerage will go with you." "Whom do you say in the steerage?" asked Beckwith. "Any good fellow; say Scott." "No, sir!" exclaimed De Forrest, decidedly. "I would jump overboard before I would vote for him." "Suppose the captain should select Lincoln," continued Sheridan, his eye still twinkling merrily. "Then we should have to take some other fellow from the cabin," replied Beckwith. "There your chance comes in, De Forrest," winked the fourth lieutenant. "I think I have just as good a right to go as any other fellow."