"What are you doing there, Cornwood?" I asked, as I entered the pilot-house.
"The pilot has gone below for some matches, and I offered to take the wheel while he was absent," replied Cornwood, in the mildest of tones.
"I will thank the pilot to call a deck-hand when he wants to be relieved," I replied.
"You think I mean mischief, I dare say," he added, with his silky smile; "but you can see that I can do no harm if I desired to, which I do not. Captain Blastblow is at the wheel of the other steamer."
At this moment the pilot came in, with a cigar in his mouth, and took the wheel.
"Captain Garningham, I should like to have a little talk with you," said Cornwood. He led the way to a couple of chairs on the forecastle, which had just been abandoned by the young ladies.
"Captain Garningham, I have been subjected to such an outrage as I never before experienced in my life," said the Floridian.
"I think you cannot greatly wonder at it," I replied.
"Should you wonder at it if a party were to come on board of the Sylvania, take you by force, strip you almost to the skin, and rob you of your money? That is precisely my case, and you say I need not greatly wonder at it," continued Cornwood, as mildly as he had begun.
"I think my case would be a little different from what yours was," I replied.