Captain Irwin Masters, a tall man with graying hair, came over and took her arm. "Miss Wallace," he said, smiling warmly. "It's good to see you looking fit."

"I think the worst is over," she said.

"I don't mind admitting, I was beginning to worry. Not leaving your cabin for five days made me fear the worst. With no doctor on board, we would have been in a fix if you needed medical treatment."

"Thank you," she said softly.

He looked at her in mild surprise. "Thank me, for what?"

"For your concern." She gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "It's been a long time since anyone worried about me."

He nodded and winked. "That's what ship captains are for."

Then he turned to the other officers. "Gentlemen, may I present Miss Estelle Wallace, who is gracing us with her lovely presence until we dock in Auckland."

The introductions were made. She was amused by the fact that most of the men were numbered. The first officer, the second officer-even a fourth. They all shook her hand as if it were made of delicate china-all except the engineering officer, a short ox-shouldered man with a Slavic accent. He stiffly bent over and kissed the tips of her fingers.

The first officer motioned at the mess boy,_who was standing behind a small mahogany bar. "Miss Wallace, what's your pleasure?"

"Would it be possible to have a daiquiri? I'm in the mood for something sweet."

"Absolutely," the first officer replied. "The San Marino may not be a luxurious cruise liner, but we do run the finest cocktail bar in this latitude of the Pacific."

"Be honest," the captain admonished good-naturedly. "You neglected to mention we're probably the only ship in this latitude."

"A mere detail." The first officer shrugged. "Lee, one of your famous daiquiris for the young lady."

Estelle watched with interest as the mess boy expertly squeezed the lime and poured the ingredients. Every movement came with a flourish. The frothy drink tasted good, and she had to fight a desire to down it all at once.

"Lee," she said, "you're a marvel."

"He is that," said Masters. "We were lucky to sign him on."

Estelle took another sip of her drink. "You seem to have a number of Orientals in your crew."

"Replacements," Masters explained. "Ten of the crew jumped ship after we docked in San Francisco. Fortunately, Lee and nine of his fellow Koreans arrived from the maritime hiring hall before sailing time."

"All damned queer, if you ask me," the second officer grunted.

Masters shrugged. "Crew members jumping ship in port has been going on since Cro-Magnon man built the first raft. Nothing queer about it."

The second officer shook his head doubtfully. "One or two maybe, but not ten! The San Marino is a tight ship, and the captain here is a fair skipper. There was no reason for a mass exodus."