“I'm in a devil of a position. You're a captain.”
“I shipped on board here before the mast, Captain Downs, and knew exactly what I was doing. I'll take my medicine.”
“I don't like to have you go for'ard there among those cattle, Mayo.”
“Captain Downs, it was wrong for me to make the break I did on your quarter-deck. I ought to have kept still; but the thing came to me so sudden that I went all to pieces. I'd like to step back into the crew and have you forget that I'm Boyd Mayo. I'll sneak ashore in Boston and lose myself.”
The captain tipped up his cap and scratched the side of his head. “Seems as if I remember you being at the wheel, Mayo, when that fellow was unloading some pretty important information on to me.”
“I couldn't help hearing, sir.”
“So you know he's eloping with a girl?” The old skipper lowered his voice.
“Yes, sir.”
“Did you ever hear of such a cussed, infernal performance? And I have talked with the girl, and she really doesn't seem to be that sort at all. She's flighty, you can see that. She has been left to run loose too much, like a lot of girls in society are running loose nowadays. They think of a thing that's different, and, biff! they go do it. She is wishing she hadn't done this. That shows some sense.” He studied the young man. “Do you know anything about this right a captain has to perform marriage ceremonies?”
“Nothing special.”