“Down the South American coast as far as Rio Janeiro,” was the answer. “Porto Rico will be my first stop.”
“And when do you expect to start?”
“I may finish up loading to-day if I have luck,” replied the skipper. “If so, I’ll get my clearance papers and slip out early to-morrow morning.”
“I suppose you’ve done a bit of shanghaiing in your day, eh, Hennessy?” remarked Connelly, jocularly.
“Many’s the time, especially in the old sailing days,” grinned Hennessy, a light of evil reminiscence in his little eyes. “But there’s little call for it nowadays.”
“I was just wondering,” went on Connelly, “if you’d do me a favor and take a fellow along with you on this trip that doesn’t want to go.”
“It might be managed,” returned the skipper a little doubtfully.
“There’d be a nice little slice of money in it for you,” Connelly explained. “You see it’s a young fellow that’s got in with a wild gang ashore, and his folks think a sea voyage wouldn’t do him any harm.”
Hennessy’s hesitation vanished at the mention of money and his eyes had an avaricious gleam.