“That sounds as if it might be a description,” Olive laughed. “What was he doing when you saw him?”
“Leading a big blind horse, hitched to a heavy ship’s timber, across the yard, under a blazing sun.”
“Did he look as if he enjoyed it--took hold well?”
“Wal, now, I’m frank to say that his smile wasn’t ex-act-ly that of a man with a likely bale of goods to sell--or who wouldn’t swap his job for a kingdom.” The sun-dog in the eye sported a tail of sarcasm now. “’Twas when I sheered off from him an’ his blind draft-horse, was prowling round the shipyard that I first saw the seal-hunter I spoke of, who was hanging round the bar here day before yesterday watching for a shot. He was just starting down the river then, with his guide, an old river-man, ’Merica Burnham, whose launch he hires.”
“Oh-h! did he have on a Norfolk suit--belted tweeds and knickerbockers? Gracious! Olive, I wonder if it could be the same man who passed while I was painting my dory--camouflaging her?”
Sara’s paddling toes suddenly tickled the tide into questioning spray that camouflaged her cry.
“Now--now, by the ginger joker! Was it you who turned a sensible dory into a smeared freak? Oh! I saw her as I rowed by your camp. Land! the sight of her would make a dogfish drop his herring.”
Thus the old mariner laughingly diverted that speculative spray.
“Bah! Captain Andy, you’re horrid. I think it was quite a cunning idea to camouflage her, put her into the disguise of the high-seas uniform--so to speak--as Iver gave her to me.... But if anybody else made a joke of her!”
“You’d be ready to tar ’em, eh? And so that sportsman chap--seal-hunter--passed while you were fathoms deep in camouflage! Bet my life he was amused! I guess it was the same man, girlie, for the fellow I saw did have on a top-shelfer’s rig such as you mention; he was a walking arsenal, too, rifle an’ shotgun both; perhaps he hopes to make some profit out o’ the seal-skins, if he gets any; most everything is profitable these times! But he missed the one shot I saw him try; probably at the big old bull-seal that played submarine with you.”