The voting commenced in the afternoon watch.  The second part of the starboard watch, being off duty, gave in their peas and beans first.  The receivers, without even knowing all the members of the League, took whatever was handed to them “on the sly,” and looked as careless and indifferent as though nothing was going on.  The only responsibility that rested upon them, besides the general duty of carefulness and fidelity, was to see that no one voted twice.  “Vote early and vote often” was not countenanced; and one receiver acted as a check upon the other.

The election progressed so secretly that no occasion for suspicion was given; and though the ballots were deposited under the eyes of the principal and the professors they saw nothing, and had not the remotest idea that anything wrong was in progress.

In the last half of the first dog watch, Shuffles began to be excited.  He was too much of a politician to be idle while any voting was going on? and so far as his duty would permit, he had watched the receivers since the balloting commenced.  He had seen seven or eight vote of whose membership in the Chain he had no previous knowledge.  He saw that Pelham had made more initiates than he had been willing to acknowledge, apparently concealing the facts for the purpose of favoring his own election.  He observed that all the officers of his rival’s quarter watch voted, and he was almost certain that he had been defeated.

Shuffles was angry and indignant when he discovered the treacherous shrewdness of his fellow-conspirator; but he had solemnly promised to abide the result of the election, and he could not recede from his position without a violation of the “honor among thieves” which is said to exist.  The poll would not be closed for half an hour; and as he had been cheated he deemed it quite right to restore the equilibrium by a resort to the same policy.

“Wilton, I have been cheated,” said he, angrily, as he met his old crony in the waist.

“How do you know you have?”

“I know it.  I will explain by and by.  Something must be done.  I am beaten as sure as you live.”

“Well, I can’t help it if you are.  You and Pelham have fixed things to suit yourselves, and now you must fight it out between you,” replied Wilton, as he turned on his heel, and left the mighty mischief-maker alone and disconcerted.

“Where do all these beans come from?” said Paul Kendall, as he noticed the rejected ballots of the Pelhamites, which they had not even taken the trouble to throw over the rail.

“It’s a new game the fellows are playing,” replied Shuffles, with apparent indifference, as he walked aft with the second lieutenant.

“What’s that?” asked Paul, curiously.

“It’s called ‘Don’t know Beans,’” answered Shuffles in deep thought.  “The fellows have a good deal of sport out of it in the off-time.”

“‘Don’t know Beans!’ I never heard of such a game before.  Tell me about it.”