“My dear Captain, it certainly is; and I appreciate your interest very much and won’t fail you and the good doctor.”
He had regained his smiling manner: “Captain, why are we men such restless wanderers? You could settle down in your nice little cottage at Bournemouth, draw your pension, trim your apple trees, read your old friend Marryat, chat with Mrs. Pollard and curse the Liberal Party; and I—I could write my memoirs, raise tulips and roses and blooded sheep, sneer at the Radicals and Progressives, and criticize the weak policy of the Hapsburgs! What fun we could have, Hein?”
“Your Excellency, I guess we both do what we believe to be our duty. Neither of us is good at idling, I think, and our work is our life. Some day I might do as you say—but I hope that day is a long way off,” with a merry chuckle.
A crunching sound against the ship’s side and the pilot’s dingy pulled by two powerful negroes had come alongside. With the pilot two other figures were visible in the dim light. The nimble, old, beturbaned Arab pilot, with broad red sash around his ample waist, swung himself aboard, the two men following him.
On the upper deck the conversation which had lagged during this busy interval was further interrupted by the approach of a steward in search of the Captain.
“Two passengers boarded with the pilot, sir. One of them requests permission to speak to you for a minute, Captain.”
“Has the purser seen him?”
“Yes, sir; but he asked for you; he says you know him.”
“Very well, send him up.”
The steward left and shortly after a heavily bearded, well-set-up, broad-shouldered man, in rather shabby linen blouse and baggy trousers, a pith helmet in hand, walked towards the Captain. In the rapidly failing light the deeply tanned features with calm eyes and pleasant smile were just visible. With hand outstretched he stepped up to the group and in a hearty voice exclaimed: “How do you do, Captain Pollard! I was most anxious to meet an old friend again and couldn’t wait. Don’t you remember me, Captain? The clothes and beard make it hard, I guess. I am John Morton.”