“Better hear details, captain, before you make breaks like that. We helped the lady side-step some sailors last night and we most got left doing it. It was up to her to make a quick get-away, so we helped her aboard.”
“A poor story! What was she running away from?” He still addressed the men, ignoring her completely, till, with hoarse voice, she broke in:
“You mustn’t talk about me that way—I can answer your questions. It’s true—I ran away. I had to. The sailors came after me and fought with these men. I had to get away quickly, and your friends helped me on here from gentlemanly kindness, because they saw me unprotected. They are still protecting me. I can’t explain how important it is for me to reach Nome on the first boat, because it isn’t my secret. It was important enough to make me leave my uncle at Seattle at an hour’s notice when we found there was no one else who could go. That’s all I can say. I took my maid with me, but the sailors caught her just as she was following me down the ship’s ladder. She had my bag of clothes when they seized her. I cast off the rope and rowed ashore as fast as I could, but they lowered another boat and followed me.”
The captain eyed her sharply, and his grim lines softened a bit, for she was clean-cut and womanly, and utterly out of place. He took her in, shrewdly, detail by detail, then spoke directly to her:
“My dear young lady—the other ships will get there just as quickly as ours, maybe more quickly. To-morrow we strike the ice-pack and then it is all a matter of luck.”
“Yes, but the ship I left won’t get there.”
At this the commander started, and, darting a great, thick-fingered hand at her, spoke savagely:
“What’s that? What ship? Which one did you come from? Answer me.”
“The Ohio,” she replied, with the effect of a hand-grenade. The master glared at her.
“The Ohio! Good God! You dare to stand there and tell me that?” He turned and poured his rage upon the others.