He looked at them significantly and there was something threatening in his attitude. They were not slow to remember where and under what circumstances they had heard practically those identical words before.
"Do you think—" Big Jack Carew began, and then stopped.
"Young man," the ex-whaler supplemented, "I'm thinkin' a whole lot of things I ain't sayin' just now. But you can bet yer last dollar that I'm keepin' both eyes peeled and both ears open."
Instinctively they gazed over the throng that still stood about, even though the fire was now entirely extinguished.
"Huh!" Captain Allerson exclaimed, and suddenly walked away.
In a moment he approached the unpopular, and at that moment unsuspecting, Henryson, who was standing on the outer edge of the crowd.
"That's strange," was the old seaman's expression, in a tone loud enough for all to hear, and attracting instant attention.
"What is?" asked Henryson, who could not ignore the fact that it was he who was being addressed. Bentner asked the others later if they, too, thought that a half-frightened look came into the Norwegian's eyes as the mentor of law and order addressed him.
"Why," Captain Allerson replied, slowly, and in bitingly incisive tones, "you seem to be about the only one around here that had time to stop and dress fer this here surprise party tonight."