"Says somebody throwed him in. Don't look as though he was drunk, though."
"No. He ain't drunk. And if he says somebody throwed him in, why, somebody did. I'll find out about this. Good night." Captain Bagley turned toward his cabin. "The old rip!" he muttered. "I knowed he was a bad actor, but I never dreamed he'd attempt murder."
Then the captain was inside the cabin. "Strip them clothes off, quick!" he called to Alec. Then turning to the engineer, he said, "What you standing there for, Joe? Git the coffee-pot on and stir up the fire."
Captain Bagley seemed equal to any emergency. Before you could bat an eye he had pulled the wet garments from Alec's shivering form and was rubbing him with a rough towel. He rubbed until Alec's skin was aglow. Then he dived into his bunk and from his locker drew out a clean suit of heavy woolen underwear.
"Warm these," he said, handing the garments to Joe, while he himself fell to rubbing and slapping Alec with his hands.
"Now git into them duds quick," he ordered, as Joe passed Alec the underclothes, which he had been holding before the fire.
As Alec pulled on the warm clothes, the captain said, "Git this inside you," and he poured out a cup of black coffee that was smoking hot.
Alec downed the draught, though it almost burned his mouth. The captain poured another cup.
"Drink it," he said. Again he turned to the engineer. "See if Dick's got any lemons in his cupboard."
The engineer found some. "Give 'em to me," said the captain. In a second he had cut them in half and was squeezing out the juice. "Put a quart of water over the open fire, Joe," he said.