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Page 103
"Now go ahead," said Pelham.
"Repeat after me."
"All right."
"I promise, without any reservation, to acknowledge Shuffles as captain,
if he is chosen, and faithfully to obey his orders, on penalty of
falling overboard accidentally."
Pelham repeated these words, and then "toggled" his rival in the same
manner.
"Now we understand each other perfectly, and there will be no chance of
dragging the anchor," said Shuffles, satisfied that his sway would be
undisputed. "Let me say, in addition to this, that if I should happen to
be chosen, I shall make you my first officer, Pelham."
"And I will make you my first officer, if I should happen to be chosen,"
replied the obliging Pelham. "Of course I don't expect to be chosen; you
have had the swing of this affair, and you will have all the advantage."
"No, I think not; you are an officer now, and you have more influence
than I have," added the modest Shuffles.
If both had been laboring for the organization of the League on the same
terms, Shuffles would certainly have the better chance of an election;
but Pelham had been taking in members on false pretences, merely
representing to those whom he approached that the League was an
association having for its object the redress of their grievances. To
only a few had he mentioned the fact that a regular mutiny was
contemplated; that the ship was to be taken out of the hands of the
principal, and an independent cruise commenced. He was afraid the whole
truth would be more than some of them could bear; and perhaps he had so
little faith in the extreme measures to be carried out by the League,
that he was unwilling even to mention them.
Those who serve the evil one can neither trust each other nor trust
their master.
The only real confidence in each other which can exist among men or boys
must be based on moral and religious principle.
The man who pays his debts, or who performs his obligations to his
fellow-men, for his reputation's sake, rather than from devotion to pure
principle, will fail of his duty when he can conceal his infidelity, or
when his reputation will not suffer from his acts.
A man or a boy without principle is not to be trusted out of the line of
his own interest.
While Shuffles and Pelham were pledging themselves to a kind of romantic
fidelity, they were plotting each against the other, each being
satisfied that he had the advantage of the other.
"Now, I'm afraid the election will give us some trouble," continued
Shuffles. "It will not be an easy matter to conduct it fairly--not that
any fellow means to cheat, but it must be conducted with so much secrecy
that we can't superintend the ballot properly."
"I know there is all that difficulty, but I have thought of a method
which I believe will give us a fair election," replied Pelham.
"Have you? So have I."
"Well, what is your plan? If it is better than mine, I am willing to
adopt it."
"I was thinking, as you and I are the only candidates that each of us
might be represented by one side of the ship. You shall be port, and I
will be starboard Then every link in the Chain shall hand his vote, on
which shall be written the single word port or starboard either to you
or me; and if there are more port than starboard, you will be captain;
if more starboard than port, I shall be captain! How does that idea
strike you?"
"Pretty well; but the fellows have all got to write their votes, and
others will want to know what it means. It will set outsiders to
thinking, and I don't believe the plan is quite safe."
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