“Well, grit counts for something,” stated Captain Candage. “We've got a crew that ain't afraid of a little weather.”
“If that's the case, there may be something for you off-coast about now that's better than the fishing game.”
“What's that?” asked the old skipper.
“Wrecking. Seen the morning papers?”
“We've had something to do besides fool with papers.”
“That new Bee line steamer, Conomo, has been piled up on Razee Reef.”
“One time—this last time—she hugged too close!” snapped the young man. The others bent an inquiring gaze on him. But he did not explain. His thoughts were busy with the events of that day when the Bee line steamer started his troubles with Marston.
“Paper says she's considered a total loss,” went on the manager. “If that's so, and the underwriters give her up, there ought to be some fine picking for men with grit. The board of survey went out to her on a tug this morning.” He gave them their check, and they went aboard their schooner.
The affair of the Conomo was not mentioned between them until they were at sea on their way to the eastward again. The piece of news did not interest Mayo at first, except as a marine disaster that had no bearing on his own affairs.
Captain Candage was stumping the quarter-deck, puffing at his short, black pipe. “I don'no' as you feel anyways as I do about it, Captain Mayo, but it ain't going to be no great outset to us if we make a leg out to Razee and see what's going on there,” he suggested.