This is the story of another kind of Captain, one who is intent on taking the passengers and the ship down with him. The primary reason for this odd perversion of leadership lies in the nature of their relationship.

The Captain gives daily speeches long and loud of his concern for the passengers. But his actions betray his genuine interest. First he must insure his family finds a place in the lifeboats. Next he must find a place for the crew. This is problematical, in that the passengers accuse the Captain, family and crew of absconding with their rightful share of the ship's goods. Other allegations are that there have been instances of theft and cruelty, for which compensation and redress are due.

This is more and more difficult, as the passengers become ever more aware of an underlying brutality in the management of the ship. The tyranny of the Captain is revealed to them in his refusal to entertain any suggestion that his navigation is faulty. He enforces a stern discipline over the passengers under a specious necessity for stability in the event of imaginary dangers over the horizon.

The passengers suffer insult and abuse, not choosing to disturb what has been a pleasant voyage. The Captain, taking advantage of their pliability, arrogantly issues preferred rations for family and crew, placing any passengers who are brave enough to object in chains below. This injustice does not go unnoticed, and resentment builds among the passengers.

The winds have borne the ship proudly, with only a few minor events to draw attention to the shift from contemporary standards of shipboard governance to a consensus that the Captain has gone daft. The flag, still flown in accord with international regulation, is routinely replaced with the Jolly Roger of piracy.

The world watches the drama with interest, not intervening directly, but the winds which power the ship have begun to wane. The Captain now calls on the passengers to row. The passengers, viewing the lardy waistbands of the family and crew, are understandably reluctant to do this. They first grumble, then appoint committees to negotiate. The Captain is obdurate, finding every imaginable subterfuge to delay a confrontation which might lead to his replacement.

The Captain has taken to haranguing the passengers, threatening disaster if he is replaced. The passengers, for their part, are reluctant to row, and now begin to consider the consequences if they collaborate to run the ship onto the rocks. Another alternative, not generally acceptable, is to replace the Captain and crew with a group of pious passengers whose values exclude deck games.

Today's drama involves a called convocation to discuss the unfairness of the Steward's handling of matters affecting the welfare of the crew. The Captain has obtained temporary relief by the sudden appearance of a cockroach, surprisingly challenging the sanitary standards of the ship. On a previous occasion this same cockroach was successful in deflecting the system of justice customarily available on the ship.