“Certainly,” answered the mate. “We need them, and I didn’t know how long the ship would last.”
“It seems in no immediate danger of going to pieces.”
“Things look more favorable than they did yesterday morning. What sort of a trip did you have in the boat?”
“A curious question to ask,” said the captain, captiously. “We were in danger of being swamped more than once.”
“We had better have remained on board the Nantucket with you, Mr. Holdfast,” said Appleton, the Melbourne merchant.
Captain Hill chose to take offense at this remark.
“You were quite at liberty to stay, Mr. Appleton,” he said. “I didn’t urge you to go with me.”
“True, Captain Hill; but I trusted to your opinion that the ship was unsafe.”
The captain looked angry, but did not make any reply.
By the sailors Mr. Holdfast was warmly greeted. He was much better liked than the captain, being a man of even temper and reasonable in his demands.