The captain breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh, then, it’s all well enough. You see her captain is a friend of mine, and I suppose he wants to speak to me.”
“I think,” said Ethan seriously, “that you’ll find that there is something more to it than that.”
“And I agree wid ye,” said Shamus O’Moore; and without another word he dived below.
“Your man seems sort of nervous,” laughed the captain.
“Not he,” smiled Ethan. “If you spoke of nerves to him, I hardly think he’d know what you were talking about.”
“He got below mighty sudden.”
“He’ll be back in a moment. And I fancy he’ll have his tools with him.”
The captain stared, but said nothing more to the lad. Scanning the waters toward the island he spoke to the mate at the wheel in low tones regarding the chart by which he was steering. They were still so engaged when the big lug sails of the shallop came plainly into view and a voice from her deck hailed hoarsely,
“Ahoy, the schooner!”