“Possibly,” assented Mr. Mayhew. “I doubt it, though. Nervousness is not a marked trait of any young man who has been long enrolled at the Naval Academy.”
“Can we have a slight favor done us, Mr. Mayhew?” Jack asked.
“Any reasonable favor, of course.”
“Then, sir, we'd like to spend a little time ashore, as we've been confined so long aboard. If I lock up everything tight on the boat until Sunday night, may we know that the 'Farnum' will be under the protection of the marine guard?”
“I feel that there will not be the slightest difficulty in promising you that,” replied Mr. Mayhew. “I will telephone the proper authorities about it as soon as I go on shore.”
All hands on board were pleased over the prospect of going ashore, with the exception of Sam Truax.
“You don't need any guard on the boat,” he protested. “I don't want to go ashore. Leave me here and I'll be all the guard necessary.”
“We're all going ashore,” Jack replied.
[pg 137] “But I haven't any money to spend ashore,” objected Truax.
“I'll let you have ten dollars on account, then,” replied Jack, who was well supplied with money, thanks to a draft received from Jacob Farnum.