"If that man ever gets into another row I'll shut him up," repeated Mr. Sprague, as they hurried on in the direction of the house which had once been Bob's home. "I have heard of such things as shipping a lot of landsmen to make up a ship's company, but I never thought it would be brought home to me in this manner. Watson, you're sure you were not asleep and dreamed it all?"
"I told you nothing but the truth," said Ben, as if he hoped in some way to make Mr. Sprague believe it. "I can repeat every word they said. You ask Bob, and see if he will believe me. I never told a lie in my life, except when I was telling some stories of the sea."
"Well, Leon will go around there with you and I'll go home. And I want you to add my earnest invitation to Leon's, and tell Bob that if he can't see his way clearly to stopping there he must come up to my house."
Ben promised compliance, and Mr. Sprague turned up the street that led to his residence.
"I'll tell you another thing," said Ben. "That man Barlow says I owe him twenty dollars for grub and lodging. I'll go there to-morrow and pay him, though to tell the truth I didn't suppose I owed him anything. I've got money that I saved while Cap'n Nellis was here, and if Bob wants it he can have it."
"You say when Mr. Nellis was here," replied Leon. "Then you don't think he is dead?"
"He's as lively as you or I at this minute," said Ben, earnestly.
"Then why don't you go and get him?" asked Leon.
"Ah! That's the trouble. We don't know where he is. The ocean is large, and there's a heap of islands scattered around in it."
"But Barlow might have killed him. They went for you pretty rough."