“I own I dozed one or twice afore she was well under way, but I was fair shook up when she’d got her canvas full spread. You take my meaning? I’ve fought with a cutlass, and I’ve knocked down a swabber with a marline-spike, but never in my born days have I hit a man with an oar; there’s something uncommon about that, and as a constable I took note of it.
“Foreign ways, to be sure. Them fellows in the boat must have been some of the crew of that Portugal ship.”
“Not the big-nosed man with the black beard,” said Martin. “I’m sure he was an Englishman.”
“Maybe, but I ask you, what was he doing along with those foreigners? And what’s his ploy with Slocum?”
“Ay, and why come along this very street?” Susan put in.
“There you go!” said Dick. “I’ve seen many a big nose, also red, and black beards, likewise many tabby cats. You can’t tell one from t’other unless you’ve studied ’em. I see a tabby in one place; you see one in another; that don’t make ’em the same.”
“What’s cats got to do with it?” protested Susan.
“Nothing,” said Dick. “All I say is, if I took up a man just because he’d a big red nose and a black beard the magistrates would call me a fool, and belike I’d have to pay damages, and then where’d you be?”
“Then why talk about cats?” said Susan. “And tabbies! Now if you’d said black cats——”
“Drat the cats!” cried the constable. “You’ll go on about ’em till you’re tired, I suppose. Martin, what I say is, keep your weather-eye open, and if so be as you spy that black-haired fellow again, keep him in sight, my lad, and inform an officer of the law.”