“We’re all sick of our bargain, sir, and we don’t see how we come to do it,” continued the sailor, still pointing toward the cloud of smoke in order to make Archie’s guard believe that he was talking about the steamer in the distance. “If you want to take the ship, sir, we’ll all stand by you if we lose our lives by it.”
“I don’t want to take the ship.”
“You’re afraid to trust us, ain’t you, sir?”
“Yes, I am. Men who will prove unfaithful once, will do so again.”
“What’s going on there between you two?” demanded the ticket-of-leave man, suddenly.
“There’s a steamer over there,” replied Frank, “and Brown says it may be a man-of-war.”
“Well, when he gets through saying it he’d better get away from there,” returned Bob.
The man went, and Frank kept his place at the wheel until breakfast was ready. All that morning he waited and watched for an opportunity to say a word to Archie in private, but none was offered until after he had taken his observation at noon. While he was busy with his chart, Archie came into the cabin, apparently for the purpose of changing his coat, but really to exchange a word or two with his cousin. He went into his stateroom, pulled off the coat he had on, and came out with the other in his hand.
“I have found out something,” said he, in a low tone, as he bent down and looked over Frank’s shoulder.
The young captain glanced up hastily and saw that Waters was standing on the quarter-deck, watching them closely through the open skylights. To disarm the man’s suspicions, if he had any, Frank caught up his parallel ruler, and began moving it about over the chart as if he were working out a course.