"I took in Mr. Robertson's coffee, but his room was empty," he said.
The skipper was on deck in a few minutes, but there was nothing to show what had become of the engineer. The Adelaide had, however, now swung with her stern somewhat near the shore, and a man who had kept anchor watch remembered having seen a big Siwash canoe slipping out to sea a few hours earlier.
"There was a man in her who didn't look quite like an Indian," he said.
"Well," said the skipper dryly, "if he's drowned it won't matter. Anyway, I'm not going to worry."
CHAPTER XXX
AN EYE FOR AN EYE
The Shasta lay safely tied up to a buoy in Vancouver Inlet, and a quartermaster stood at her gangway with instructions to see that no stranger got on board, when Jimmy sat talking to his sister and Jordan in the room beneath her bridge. It was an hour since she had steamed in, and except for an occasional clinking in her engine-room, where Fleming was still busy, there was silence on board her, though the scream of saws and the rattle of freight-car wheels came off faintly across the still water. The two ports were open wide, but none of those who sat in the little room noticed that the light was fading. Jordan and Eleanor were listening with close attention while Jimmy concisely related how he had fallen in with and towed Merril's steamer. At last he broke off with an abrupt movement when a splash of oars grew louder.
"Another boat!" he said. "We'll have every curious loafer in the city pulling off by and by."
Then the voice of the quartermaster reached them as he answered somebody who called to him from the approaching boat.
"No," he said, "you can't see Captain Wheelock—he's busy. Keep her off that ladder."