Mr. Baker had been standing beside the boat. Now he turned away.
“All right. Wait here for me. I ’ll be back in half an hour. I ’ll take you aboard, and I have no doubt the captain will sign you. Any dunnage?”
“No, sir. It ’s all on the Apollo but what I stand in.”
Mr. Baker looked at Peter. “You want to go aboard, Peter?”
“The sooner the better, sir. We ’ve seen all we want of the town.”
“Liberty is n’t up, you know. Muss, eh? Better get in the boat if anybody comes.”
Mr. Baker was back in half an hour, followed by porters with baskets of fresh provisions. Three or four more of our men had drifted down. When we were halfway to the ship Mr. Baker spoke.
“You—what ’s your name?”
“John Brown, sir,” answered the knife-thrower, with half a second’s hesitation.
“John Brown, eh? We ’ve got one John Brown on the ship. Would n’t John Smith do you just as well?”