“Yo’ see it was dis way,” continued January Jones, as they walked away from the station. “I heard one ob yo’ young gen’men tell de udder ’bout gitting back befo’ three o’clock. Den when I heard what Cap’n Sudlip said to de mate I knowed sumt’ing was wrong. So I made up my mind to dun tole yo’. I went to de hotel fust an’ dey tole me to come heah.”
“We’ll not forget your kindness,” said Professor Strong. “It was certainly a mean trick on Captain Sudlip’s part and I shall tell him so. Of course if we had been left I could not have brought suit against him for damages, since I have no witness to prove that he said he would sail at three o’clock.”
“Tell yo’, sah, I’se mighty sick ob workin’ fo’ dat man, sah,” observed January, with a shake of his woolly head. “I’d leave de ship heah, only dis ain’t much ob a place.”
“No, I would advise you to remain until you reach Havana,” answered Professor Strong. “I have a number of friends in that city and perhaps I can get you something to do there.”
This pleased January Jones greatly, and he promised to do what he could for them so long as they were together.
As there was nothing much to do at present, they walked back to the hotel, where they procured dinner. In the meantime the negro, who had been sent ashore on an errand, hurried back to the steamer with all speed.
At quarter to one o’clock Captain Sudlip came on deck and looked around him anxiously. He was all ready to sail and so far had seen nothing of his five passengers. He gazed ashore but not one of them was in sight.
“I’ve won the game this time,” he muttered to himself. “And they can’t prove anything either. It was as slick as any Yankee move. They’ll be mad enough when they realize how I have outwitted them. And I’ve got the passage money safe in the cabin. Let me see, by dropping them behind I clear just about twenty pounds. I can tell the owners that they paid their way only as far as Kingston and they will never know differently.”
As the minutes went by he looked at his watch nervously. Ten minutes to one and no one in sight—five minutes. He called to the first mate.
“All ready to sail?”