“Trouble?” demanded the captain, wrathfully. “What’s wrong?”
“Have you—have you seen anything—of—the—rest—of—our crowd?”
“Find out for yourself!” roared Captain Sudlip. “If this is a joke let me say I don’t stand for it!” And he rushed off for his private cabin.
Here he met Hockley, who had been waiting several minutes to interview him. But he was no longer surprised and was on the point of passing when the youth held him up.
“I say, Captain,” he began, “have you seen anything of the rest——”
“So you think you’re going to make a monkey of me?” exploded Captain Sudlip, in a fury. “Think you are going to make laughing stock of me, do you? I won’t stand it. How do you like that, you impudent rascal!”
“That” was a slap from his broad palm, which took poor Hockley fairly and squarely in the mouth and sent him on his back. The captain would have followed it up with more violence, but just then Professor Strong appeared.
“Stop that!” he commanded, sternly. “What right have you to touch this young man, sir?”
“He insulted me,” answered the captain, but turned somewhat pale. “I won’t be insulted on my own ship!” he added, doggedly.
“How did he insult you?”