“I know the signs.”
“Well,” said Peter, “you might speak to the mate. That ’s Mr. Baker in charge of that boat—chief mate.”
How Peter could have told so certainly was beyond my comprehension; but he had good eyes. We stood silently until the boat came in. Then the man spoke to Mr. Baker, who received his application well enough. He looked the man over.
“What have you sailed in?”
“Almost everything, sir, from dhows to whalers, for the last ten years.”
“Whalers? What vessels?”
“Only one, the Apollo.”
“Apollo, eh? How long were you in the Apollo? And when?”
“The last year, sir.”
Mr. Baker grunted. “Deserted, eh? We left her near Mauritius about a week ago, bound home.”