The porridge had arrived. Captain Valvick emptied the creamjug over it, bent his vast shoulders, adjusted his elbows in a wing-like spread, and spoke between excavations.
"Well, we get to talking, you see, and ay give him a drink of Old Rob Roy, and he say, "Coroosh! Captain, but my cousin Alick could haff use dis whisky last night." Den he tell me his cousin Alick hass suffered somet'ing hawful with de yumping toothache, and de doctor hass give him somet'ing to put on it, but it don't do no good. And ay say, "So-ho?" ay say, "den he should haff come to me, for ay know somet'ing dat cure him bing-bing." It iss composed—"
"Not to interrupt you, Skipper," said Morgan, who was keeping a wary eye out for a signal from Peggy at the Perrigords' table, "but are you sure this is strictly—"
"Ay am sure, you bet!" returned the other, with snorting excitement. "Listen. He say, "Den ay wish you would go see him," Sparks say; "he iss only round in C 47… ' " "Sorry," said Morgan, and jerked his head back. "C 47, eh? Well?"
"So we go to C 47, which iss in de gangway just hopposite Dr. Kyle's. Eh? And hiss cousin is walking round in circles with de 'ot-water-bag, and sometimes he go and bump his head on de bulkhead, and say, "Coroosh! ay wish ay wass dead," and ay pity de poor fallar hawful. So ay write out what he hass to get at doctor's, and send Sparks for it. In fife minutes dat pain go, and de poor fallar can't believe it, and he got tears in his eyes when he t'ank me. Oh, ay forgot to tell you he iss a prizefighter which is called de Bermondsey Terror. He hask me if dere is somet'ing he can do for me. Ay say no, and ay give him a drink of Old Rob Roy, but ay got a hidea yust de same." With a massive finger the captain tapped the table. "Like diss. In de night ay am t'inking to myself, and all of a sudden ay yump up in my bunk, and t'ink, "Coroosh! Maybe de doctor and de odders iss honest people, but suppose diss crook sneak into de cabin where Miss Glenn t'row dat hemerald?…"'
Morgan nodded. The old skipper was no fool. It took some time for his clicking mind to mesh its wheels, but he arrived. This idea, bringing new implications to worry Warren, caused a silence to fall on the table.
"You don't mean" — Warren gulped—"you don't mean—?"
"Oh! no! But ay t'ank ay better ask de Bermondsey Terror. Ay say, "You wass up all night wit' de toothache?" He say yes. Ay say, "Did you hear any yumps and yitters out on de deck?" He say, "Yes, ay t'ank ay hear a woman say, "Sock him again," but ay feel too bad to go see what it iss; besides," he say, "ay haf de port closed so ay don't catch cold in de yaw, and can't hear much, but," he say, "it iss close in de cabin, and ay haff de door fastened open." Dat is de way wit de lime-yuicers. Dey iss hell on cold air. Ay wass in yail once in Boston wit' a lime-yuicer, and all he do all de time iss to squawk about dat yail because it hass got steam heat… "
"And the Bermondsey Terror," said Morgan, "was up all night, and could see Kyle's door?"
"Dat iss right," agreed the captain. "And he swear nobody go down dere all night. So ay got somet'ing off my mind." He heaved a wheezy sigh.