“So there has been trouble before?”
“Yes, sah, lots ob trouble. But please don’t say I tole yo’, sah. De cap’n would mos’ kill me if he found it out,” went on January Jones. “De cap’n am a hard one, an——”
The colored man did not finish, for he had turned to leave the table, and now he found Captain Sudlip close behind him. He gave one startled look and dove for the door leading to the cook’s galley. The captain followed, and one disappeared directly after the other.
CHAPTER IV
A TALK ABOUT A MEAL
“There’ll be music now,” whispered Frank to Darry. “That captain is a tartar if ever there was one.”
The dessert had already been brought on, so January Jones was not called on to do additional waiting and he did not re-appear. The boys were soon finished and went again to the deck, leaving Professor Strong to interview the master of the steamer.
It was a disagreeable duty he had to perform, but Amos Strong was too old a traveler, and had seen too much of life, to hesitate concerning his course of action. Being unable to find the captain, he hailed the first mate.
“I wish to see the captain at once,” he said. “Where is he?”
The mate did not know, and sent a deck hand to hunt him up. It was a good quarter of an hour before the master of the Chester put in an appearance.
“What is it you want?” demanded Jason Sudlip, harshly and there was a gleam in his eyes which was far from pleasant.