He saw the mate’s face in the waning light, and moved off with a sigh. The mate, for his part, leaned against the side smoking, and as the skipper declined to talk on any subject but Mr. Hutchins, relapsed into a moody silence until the return of the crew some two hours later.
“Mr. Hutchins is coming on after, sir,” said the boy. “He told us to say he was paying a visit to a friend.”
“What’s the name of the pub?” asked the mate quietly.
“If you can’t speak without showing your nasty temper, George, you’d better hold your tongue,” said the skipper severely. “What’s your opinion about Mr. Hutchins, my lads!”
“A more open ’arted man never breathed,” said Dan, the oldest of the crew, warmly.
“Best feller I ever met in my life,” said another.
“You hear that?” said the skipper.
“I hear,” said the mate.
“’E’s a Christian,” said the boy. “I never knew what a Christian was before I met ’im. What do you think ’e give us?”
“Give you?” said the skipper.