She
had wanted him to say the word, and she had steeled herself not to say it
herself. The matter of finding a skipper had been a hard one. She was
jealous of the _Martha_, and no suggested man had satisfied her.
"Oleson?" she had demanded. "He does very well on the _Flibberty_, with
me and my men to overhaul her whenever she's ready to fall to pieces
through his slackness. But skipper of the _Martha_? Impossible!"
"Munster? Yes, he's the only man I know in the Solomons I'd care to see
in charge. And yet, there's his record. He lost the _Umbawa_--one
hundred and forty drowned. He was first officer on the bridge.
Deliberate disobedience to instructions. No wonder they broke him.
"Christian Young has never had any experience with large boats. Besides,
we can't afford to pay him what he's clearing on the _Minerva_.
Sparrowhawk is a good man--to take orders. He has no initiative. He's
an able sailor, but he can't command. I tell you I was nervous all the
time he had charge of the _Flibberty_ at Poonga-Poonga when I had to stay
by the _Martha_."
And so it had gone. No name proposed was satisfactory, and, moreover,
Sheldon had been surprised by the accuracy of her judgments. A dozen
times she almost drove him to the statement that from the showing she
made of Solomon Islands sailors, she was the only person fitted to
command the _Martha_.
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