His wife added: "This used to be the worst fever-spot in the world, you know. When we were here five years ago, we saw car-loads of dead people nearly every day. A funeral train was a familiar sight." "What a pleasant place to spend my vacation!" exclaimed Kirk. "Now if I can rent a room over the morgue and board with the village undertaker, I'll have a nice time." "Oh, there's no more yellow fever--no sickness at all, in fact," said Mr. Cortlandt. "Will you go over to Panama City, or will you stay in Colon?" "I think I'll remain on the ship; then she can't get away without me," Kirk answered. But when, after taking his turn before the doctors, he explained his desire to the purser, that worthy replied: "I'm sorry, but you'll have to arrange that with the agent. We make a charge, you know, just like a hotel." "I'm going to cable my old man for money." The officer shook his head with finality. "Nothing doing, Mr. Locke." "Anthony." "I'll take no chances. If you don't pay, I'll have to. Look here! Do you want to know what I think of you, Mr.--Anthony Locke?" "I haven't any special yearnings in that direction, but--what do you think about me?" "Well, I don't think your name is either Locke or Anthony." "Marvellous!" "And I don't think you have any money coming to you, either." "Mighty intellect!" "I think you are no good." "You're not alone in that belief. But what has all that to do with my sleeping aboard the Santa Cruz?" "If you want to stay aboard, you'll have to pay in advance. You're not so foolish as you try to make out." "Those are glorious words of praise," Kirk acknowledged, "but I'll make a bet with you." "What?" "That you change your mind. I am just as foolish as I appear, and I'll prove it. I'll bet my ring against your shirts that my name is Anthony, and if I don't come through with the price of a ticket to New York you can keep the ring." "Very well, but meanwhile I don't intend to be stuck for your bill." The purser was a man of admirable caution. "All right, then, I shall throw myself upon the mercy of strangers and take your belongings with me." By this time the ship was being warped into her berth, and the dock was crowded. There were little brown customs inspectors in khaki, little brown policemen in blue, little brown merchants in white, and huge black Jamaicans in all colors of rags. Here and there moved a bronzed, businesslike American, and Anthony noticed that for the most part these were clean-cut, aggressive-looking young fellows.