“Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant sharply, “recollect that you are addressing an officer.”
“Doctors don’t say sir to everybody they meet,” retorted Bob quickly.
“Doctors?”
“Well, my father’s a doctor, and I’m going to be one, so it’s all the same. I can make pills.”
The lieutenant frowned and looked terribly fierce; but his men had burst into a hearty laugh at the idea of Bob making pills, so he turned it off with a contemptuous “Pooh!”
“Well,” he said, “how came you to be there when the cargo was landed?”
“Thought you knew,” said Bob; “we were shut in by the tide. Our boat had drifted away.”
“You three boys?”
“Yes, and Captain Duncan,” replied Bob.
“And what did the smuggler say to you?” said the lieutenant, turning sharply on me.