“No, I don’t,” said Murray. “Ask Mr Roberts what he thinks. He’s very clever over such things as that; eh, Roberts?”
“Oh, stuff!” cried the middy. “Nonsense!”
“You might tell him what you think, though,” said Murray. “You know how fond you are of making experiments.”
“Do talk sense,” cried the lad petulantly. “Look here, May, I think it would be a great waste of useful stores to do such a thing.”
“Yes, sir; so do I,” said the man; “and that’s talking sense, and no mistake. Beg pardon, gentlemen, but what do you think of the skipper’s ideas?”
“What about?” asked Murray sharply. “We don’t canvass what our officers plan to do.”
“Don’t know about canvassing them, sir,” said the man, “but I meant no harm, only we’ve been talking it over a deal in the forc’sle, and we should like to know whether the captain means to give up trying after the slave skipper.”
“No, certainly not.”
“That’s right, sir,” said the man eagerly. “Glad on it. But it’s got about that we was sailing away from the coast here, which is such a likely spot for dropping upon him.”
“Well, I don’t mind answering you about that, Tom. Mind, I don’t want my name to be given as an authority, but I believe that Captain Kingsberry means to cross to the western shores and search every likely port for that schooner, and what is more, to search until he finds where she is.”