"Does it?" queried Jack.
"Are you in the Navy?" persisted the boat man.
"Just now, I'm serving with the Army," Captain Jack replied, evasively.
"Are you—" started in the human interrogation point, anew.
"See here," broke in the submarine boy, "I thought we agreed you had just one job to do for me, and that questions formed no part of it."
"That's right," agreed the fisherman. "But say, there's just one question I wish you'd answer me. Are you—"
"No!" interrupted Benson, decisively. "I am not. I never was."
"You didn't let me finish," complained the man.
"Wait until I'm out of the boat," proposed the submarine boy. "Then ask all the questions you like. Maybe you're paid to ask questions, but I'm paid to hold my mouth shut."
It went a good deal against the submarine boy's grain to be so brusque with an inquisitive stranger, but there seemed to be no other defense.