"It's strange no one comes after her," suggested the captain. "Zeke, there's a mystery about that boat."
"Sho!"
"Of course I don't know anything about it; but I reckon the owner would have been after her, if there hadn't been some reason for keeping in the dark."
"You don't say so!"
"Well, you see I only guess at it. I don't know no more about it than you do; perhaps not so much."
"I don't know nothin' at all about it," protested Ezekiel.
Captain Chinks tapped the glass, and did not seem to care about anything in particular, least of all about that boat, which was the subject of the conversation.
"What do you mean by a mystery, cap'n? I hain't hearn nothin' of no mystery afore."
"I had some talk with your boy about the boat and her cargo."
"What cargo? I hain't hearn nothin' o' no cargo."