I don't take much stock
in mercantile Jack, you know that, but, poor devil,
he's got to go where he's told; and if you make
trouble, ten to one it'll make you sick to see the
innocents who have to stand the racket. It would be
different if we understood the operation; but we don't,
you see: there's a lot of queer corners in life, and my
vote is to let the blame' thing lie."
"You speak as if we had that in our power," I objected.
"And so we have," said he.
"What about the men?" I asked. "They know too much by
half, and you can't keep them from talking."
"Can't I?" returned Nares. "I bet a boarding-master
can! They can be all half-seas-over when they get
ashore, blind drunk by dark, and cruising out of the
Golden Gate in different deep-sea ships by the next
morning. Can't keep them from talking, can't I? Well,
I can make 'em talk separate, least-ways. If a whole
crew came talking, parties would listen; but if it's
only one lone old shell-back, it's the usual yarn. And
at least, they needn't talk before six months, or--if
we have luck, and there's a whaler handy--three years.
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