For a moment the captain did not answer, and then he said, faintly:
Morgan, wondering, but respecting his mood, stepped back. Captain Dynamite folded his arms and his head sank low on his chest. For fully five minutes he sat thus, and then suddenly leaped to his feet, clenched his hands, straightened up to his full heighth, and stamped his foot, loudly on the deck. The negro appeared with the steamer chair. He stopped in terror at the wild appearance of Captain Dynamite, and believing that he was the cause of his anger, stammered and stuttered in an effort to speak.
"Ah, sut'nly, came as fast as ah could, sah. George Wash Jenks no loafing nigger, sah."
"Call Suarez," said Dynamite, in a low voice, ignoring the negro's attempted apologies.
"Misser Suarez turned in, sah."
"Call Suarez," roared the captain, taking a threatening step in the direction of Jenks.
"Yas, sah," answered Jenks, his eyes big with wonder. "Needn't be so uppish. Ah shall sut'nly call Misser Suarez." Jenks backed away to the companionway in an effort to keep his face to the angry skipper and miscalculating his distance rolled backward down the stairs.
"You clumsy idiot," bellowed Dynamite, stepping to the top of the stairs and peering down into the darkness, out of which came a whisper: