"But here's another. Do you see those boats there, one
on the house and two on the beds? Well, where is the
boat Trent lowered when he lost the hands?"
"Got it aboard again, I suppose," said I.
"Well, if you'll tell me why!" returned the captain.
"Then it must have been another," I suggested.
"She might have carried another on the main hatch, I
won't deny," admitted Nares, "but I can't see what she
wanted with it, unless it was for the old man to go out
and play the accordion in on moonlight nights."
"It can't much matter, anyway," I reflected.
"O, I don't suppose it does," said he, glancing over
his shoulder at the spouting of the scuppers.
"And how long are we to keep up this racket?" I asked.
"We're simply pumping up the lagoon. Captain Trent
himself said she had settled down and was full
forward."
"Did he?" said Nares, with a significant dryness. And
almost as he spoke the pumps sucked, and sucked again,
and the men threw down their bars. "There, what do you
make of that?" he asked. "Now, I'll tell, Mr. Dodd,"
he went on, lowering his voice, but not shifting from
his easy attitude against the rail, "this ship is as
sound as the NORAH CREINA.
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