"I admit that the quartermaster let her off for just a minute--less than
a minute," repeated the young man. "I had only just looked away for an
instant. I helped him put her over. We couldn't have done more than cut
a letter S for a few lengths. But the more I think of it, the queerer it
seems. Two points off, almost in a finger-snap!"
"Tell that part of it over and over again, while I shut my eyes and get
it fixed in my mind as if I had seen it," requested Captain Wass. "Who
was there, where did they stand, and so forth and et cetry. When a thing
happens and you can't figger it out, it's usually because you haven't
pawed over the details carefully enough. Go ahead! I'm a good listener."
But after he had listened he had no comments to make. He went out of the
cabin after a few minutes' wait which was devoted to deep meditation,
and strolled about the ship, hands behind his back, scuffing his feet.
A half-hour later, meeting Captain Mayo on his rounds, the veteran
inquired: "How do you happen to have Oliver Burkett aboard here?" "I don't know
him."
"You ought to know him. He is the captain the Vose line fired off the
Nirvana three years ago. He gave the go-ahead and a jingle when he was
making dock, and chewed up four fishing-boats and part of the pier. He
had to choose between admitting that he was drunk, crazy, or bribed by
the opposition. And I guess they figured that he was all three. Was he
aboard here the night it happened?"
"I don't know, sir."
"According to my notion it's worth finding out," growled Captain Wass.
"I'm not seeing very far into this thing as yet, son, and I'll admit
it. But if dirty work was done to you, Burkett would have been a handier
tool for Fogg than a Stillson wrench in a plumbing job. No, don't ask
me questions now. I haven't got any consolation for you or confidence in
myself. I'm only thinking."
The next day the wounded Montana was formally surrendered to the
underwriters.
Captain Boyd Mayo was ordered to appear before the United States
inspectors, and he went and told his story as best he could. But his
best was an unconvincing tale, after all. He left the hearing after his
testimony and walked down to the little hotel by the water-front to wait
for news.
Captain Wass came bustling down to the little hotel, plumping along at
an extra rate of speed, setting his heels down hard, a moving monument
of gloom.