Mr. Dingle and the captain, the one hanging over the bows and the other standing in an attitude of alertness on the bridge, were sustaining between them a conversation which vaguely suggested to Hughie a carefully rehearsed "cross-talk" duologue between two knockabout artistes of the Variety firmament—say the Brothers Bimbo in one of their renowned impromptu "patter scenes." The resemblance was enhanced by the fact that the "patter" was delivered fortissimo by both performers, and each repeated the other's most telling phrases in tones which made it impossible for the audience to avoid hearing them.
"What was it?" shouted Bimbo Senior (as represented by Captain Kingdom).
"Lump of wreckage!" roared Bimbo Junior, from a prolonged scrutiny of the ship's forefoot.
"Lump of wreckage?" bellowed Bimbo Senior.
"Lump of wreckage!" corroborated Bimbo Junior.
"Of course it might have been ice," suggested Number One, at the top of his voice.
"Might have been ice," replied the conscientious echo.
"Pairsonally I'm inclined tae believe it was jist a wee bit coral island," interpolated a third voice, with painful and stunning distinctness. The Chief Engineer had suddenly made his appearance on the bridge.
The captain was obviously much put out. In the first place, coral islands are not plentiful in the North Atlantic, and there are limits even to the gullibility of an audience composed of foreign deck-hands and half-civilised firemen. Secondly, the axiom that two is company and three none applies even to cross-talk duologues. Thirdly, Mr. Angus was excessively drunk, and consequently the laboriously planned comedietta at present in progress might, owing to his inartistic and uncalled-for intrusion upon the scene, take a totally unrehearsed turn at any moment.
The captain lost no time.