"Yes, sir," said Niven, who was apparently almost suffocated, hoarsely.
"Well," said Jordan with a little, dry smile, "that will set your folks' minds at rest, and I guess your father will be grateful to me. Now you can tell the rest of them to get any letters they want sent home ready."
They went out together, and Niven kicked at the first thing that lay in his way savagely. As it happened, it was one of the iron pump fastenings, and it hurt his toe, while as he hopped about the deck Appleby laughed uproariously. Then almost before he knew it Niven was laughing, too, and when they climbed down into the hold there was water in both their eyes.
"AS HE HOPPED ABOUT THE DECK APPLEBY LAUGHED UPROARIOUSLY."
"Have ye been after hearing anything funny in the cabin?" asked Donegal.
"Well," said Niven with a little chuckle, "I can't help fancying the skipper did, since you want to know. Sure, now, Donegal, 'tis a testhimonial he's been after giving you."
"Tell me," said Donegal, seizing him by the neck and nipping it while the lad struggled fruitlessly.
"It's no use. I wouldn't tell any one a word of it if you strangled me," he said.
They made sail again early nest morning, but in the forenoon the wind fell away, and it was late on the following day when they crept into sight of a grey blurr that lifted itself out of the misty horizon. They could just make out that it was land, but Jordan, who went up the mast hoops with his glasses, saw something more.