January Jones heard the words, and they made the solemn-looking colored man grin. “Dat’s right, sah,” he whispered. “I hopes yo’ do kick, sah. But yo’ wants to be careful, sah. De man wot kicked on de las’ trip got it hot an’ heaby from de cap’n, sah.” “So there has been trouble before?” “Yes, sah, lots ob trouble. But please don’t say I tole yo’, sah. De cap’n would mos’ kill me if he found it out,” went on January Jones. “De cap’n am a hard one, an----” The colored man did not finish, for he had turned to leave the table, and now he found Captain Sudlip close behind him. He gave one startled look and dove for the door leading to the cook’s galley. The captain followed, and one disappeared directly after the other. CHAPTER IV A TALK ABOUT A MEAL “There’ll be music now,” whispered Frank to Darry. “That captain is a tartar if ever there was one.” The dessert had already been brought on, so January Jones was not called on to do additional waiting and he did not re-appear. The boys were soon finished and went again to the deck, leaving Professor Strong to interview the master of the steamer. It was a disagreeable duty he had to perform, but Amos Strong was too old a traveler, and had seen too much of life, to hesitate concerning his course of action. Being unable to find the captain, he hailed the first mate. “I wish to see the captain at once,” he said. “Where is he?” The mate did not know, and sent a deck hand to hunt him up. It was a good quarter of an hour before the master of the _Chester_ put in an appearance. “What is it you want?” demanded Jason Sudlip, harshly and there was a gleam in his eyes which was far from pleasant. “I wish to complain to you, Captain Sudlip, of the food furnished to our party.” “What’s the matter with it?” “Everything is the matter with it. In the first place it is very poor in itself and in the second place it is miserably cooked. To-day’s dinner is the poorest which has been served to our party since we left the United States, and that is several months ago.” “Humph! I heard you trying to raise a row at the table. According to my way of thinking the food is all right, and so is the cooking. Is that all you want to see me about?” “That is all, and it is quite enough. I do not propose to stand it. I paid for first-class accommodations for myself and for those with me, and I shall expect such accommodations in the future. If they are not forthcoming as soon as we get to Kingston I shall lodge a complaint against you and sue to recover, even if I have to hold myself and your ship there to do it.” At this announcement Captain Sudlip’s eyes almost bulged out of his head with rage. “Ha! do you threaten me?” he roared. “That’s the way of all Yankees--think they can ride right over everybody that comes along. You can’t ride over me!”