Blow the Man Down - A Romance of the Coast

A man rose from a chair on the yacht's quarter-deck and came to the

rail. Though the schooner passed hardly a biscuit-toss away, the man

leveled marine glasses, evidently to make sure that what he had guessed,

after Mr. Speed's remark, was true.

Mayo felt an impulse to turn his back, to dodge below. But he did

not retreat; he walked to his own humble rail and scowled up into the

countenance of Julius Mar-ston. The schooner was sluggish and the breeze

was light, and the two men had time for a prolonged interchange of

visual rancor.

"I didn't mean to holler so loud, Captain Mayo," barked Oakum Otie,

in still more resonant manner, to offer apology. "But seeing her, and

remembering last time I laid eyes on her--"

"Shut up!" commanded the master. "I'll take the wheel. Go forward and

clear cable, and stand by for the word!"

He looked behind, in spite of himself, and saw that a motor-tender

had come away from the Olenia. It foamed along in the wake of

the schooner. It circled her after it had passed, and kept up those

manouvers until the schooner's anchor was let go. Then the tender came

to the side and stopped. The mate and engineer in her were new men; Mayo

did not know them. The mate tipped respectful salute and stated that Mr.

Marston had sent them to bring Captain Mayo on board the yacht at once.

"My compliments to Mr. Marston. But I am not able to come."

They went away, but returned in a short time, and the mate handed a note

over the rail. It was a curt statement, dictated and typewritten, that

Mr. Marston wished to see Captain Mayo on business connected with

the Conomo, and that if Captain Mayo were not able to transact that

business Mr. Marston would be obliged to hunt up some other party who

could do business regarding the Conomo. Remembering that he had the

interests of others to consider, Mayo dropped into the tender, sullen,

resentful, wondering what new test of his endurance was to be made, and

feeling peculiarly ill-equipped, in his present condition of courage and

temper, to meet Julius Marston.

The latter had himself under full restraint when they met on the yacht's

quarter-deck, and Mayo was more fully conscious of his own inadequacy.

"Below, if you please, captain." He led the way, even while he uttered

the invitation.

No one was visible in the saloon. In the luxury of that interior the

unkempt visitor seemed especially strange, particularly out of place.