“Never mind, lad; you are going to make a home and friends too. Some day you may have more friends to write to than you want.”
I walked away to the window, to stand looking out at the shipping, wondering how long Esau would be, and what the article was that had taken his fancy, till all of a sudden the idea came to me that it must be a revolver.
“Do you know what your young mate has gone to buy?” said Mr Gunson just then, but I avowed my ignorance. “I hope he will not be very long, because we may as well be getting on board and settling down. Our chests are all right. The captain told me that they were right down in the hold, and well above the chance of getting any bilge water upon them.”
He went to the window I had just left.
“Looks like fine weather,” he said, “with perhaps a little wind. You must try and be a better sailor this time.”
The last look round was given, the bill paid, and as we waited, I congratulated myself upon the fact that we were going to escape without another encounter with the loafers, for I felt sure they had been watching for us, so as to pick a quarrel. But the time glided on, and Esau did not return.
Gunson got up and went to the door twice, coming back each time with a very severe look on his countenance, as I saw at a glance, for I avoided his eyes, feeling, as I did, unwilling to meet some angry outburst, and hoping every moment to have an end put to a very unpleasant state of affairs.
Over and over again I started at some impatient movement on the part of Gunson; but he did not speak, contenting himself with walking impatiently up and down like some animal in a cage.
“Have you no idea what Dean has gone to buy?” he said at last.
“Not the least, unless he has fancied that he would like a revolver.”