The two of us spun like drunks in a revolving door. It was Cap Hanson himself, big as life and twice as furious. Biggs gulped.
"Oh—er—hello, Skipper. Sparks and I were just talking about—er—"
"About poetry," I finished. "Lanse was looking for a rhyme for—"
"Don't lie to me," blazed the skipper. "I heard what you was talkin' about. So, Lancelot! It was you tooken that container of seeds out of the cargo!"
Biggs said, "Why, yes, Captain, but—"
The Old Man suddenly remembered he was Lancelot Biggs' father-in-law as well as his chief. His face wrinkled like a prune, and he said in a melancholy voice, "Now, son, you shouldn't ought to have done that. Don't you know you're goin' to get in a peck of trouble? Them seeds was valuable."
"I know," replied Biggs, "but I just took a few seeds out of one of the containers. Nobody will ever notice. And—and it was our anniversary, you know. Diane's and mine."
The Old Man shook his head sadly.
"Lancelot, I'm surprised at you. Just took a few out of one of the containers? Don't you realize that whole box of seeds is ruined now? Why do you think they sealed them things in lead?"
Oh-oh! Suddenly, but belatedly, I knew what he meant. So did Biggs. The two of us stared at Hanson, then at each other haggardly.