“Of course you will give him no orders till we are in possession of the ship,” added Shuffles, not a little alarmed.

“Well, as Gordon and Kendall are members of the Chain—­of course they are, or they wouldn’t have voted—­we can talk over the matter freely with them,” said Pelham, chuckling.

“If you make the signs, and they make them, of course you can,” replied Shuffles.  “No member can speak to another about the business of the Chain until both of them have proved that they belong, by giving the required signals.”

“Shuffles, do you suppose Captain Gordon knows the signs?”

“How should I know?  I never tried him.  I don’t know why he shouldn’t make them as well as Tom Ellis.”

“Tom Ellis is all right.  I vouch for him, for I admitted him myself.  Who will vouch for the captain?  Who took him in?”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t; but if anybody has admitted him, and not given him the signs, he ought to be instructed in them.  Of course he must have been admitted, or he would not have voted,” added Pelham, sarcastically.

“I have nothing more to say about this matter,” replied Shuffles, disgusted with the cavils of his first officer.

“Nor I; but I shall satisfy myself whether the captain is a member or not,” said Pelham, decidedly.

“Well, you must be very cautious what you do.”

“Certainly I shall.  I will give him the first sign; if he don’t answer it, I shall conclude he is not a member; or, if he is, that he has not been properly instructed.”

“Better not say anything to him,” said Shuffles.

“Why not?  He voted, and it must be all right.”

“Don’t you say a word to him, unless he proves that he is a member.”

“I think he has proved that already by voting.”

“You know our rule.”

“I do; it requires me to satisfy myself that the person to whom I speak is a member.  I am entirely satisfied now that the captain and Paul Kendall belong; they would not have voted if they had not belonged.”

This was a “clincher,” and even Shuffles had not wit enough to escape the conclusion of the dogmatic reasoner.  The captain elect of the League knew very well that nine persons who were not members had voted—­that he had secured his election by a gross fraud.  He was afraid that Pelham, disappointed by his defeat, would do something to compromise the enterprise; but his own treachery had placed him in such a position that he could say nothing without exposing himself.

“Of course it’s all right,” added Pelham, “I find we have plenty of friends in the after cabin.  As soon as you have any orders to give, Captain Shuffles, I am in a position to execute them to the best advantage.”

“When I am ready, I will give them to you.”

“It will be an easy matter now to obtain possession of the ship; in fact, all you have to do is to order Captain Gordon to turn the command over to you.  He has been ‘toggled,’ and must obey his superiors—­of course he has been toggled; he couldn’t have voted if he hadn’t been.”