But when Bradish appeared, answering the captain's summons, all his
chattiness had left him. He declared that he knew nothing about the
trouble in the Montana case.
"But you said something about a scheme to fool a green captain?"
"It was only gossip--I probably got it wrong. I have thought it over and
really can't remember where I heard it or much about it. Might have been
just newspaper faking."
He kept peering about the dimly lighted room.
"You needn't worry, young man. That nigger isn't here."
"But he said he was a white man. And how does he come to be interested?"
"It's a nigger gone crazy about that case--he has probably been reading
fake stories in the papers, too," stated Captain Downs, grimly. "I must
remind you again, Bradish, that you were talking to me in pretty lively
style."
"Oh, a man lets out a lot of guesswork when he is nervous about his own
business."
"Well, I might fix it so that you'd be a little less nervous, providing
you'll show a more willing disposition when I ask you a few questions,"
probed the skipper. But this insistence alarmed Bradish and his blinking
eyes revealed his fears and suspicions.
"I don't know anything about the Montana case. I don't intend to do
any talking about it."
Captain Downs tapped harder on the table, scowled, and was silent.
"Anything else, sir?" inquired Bradish, after a pause.
"Guess not, if that's the way you feel about it!" snapped Captain Downs.
Bradish went back into the main saloon, and the eavesdropper ventured
forth.
"I don't know just what the dickens to do about you, now that I know who
you are," confessed the master, looking Mayo up and down.
"There isn't anything to do except let me go back to my work, sir."
"I'm in a devil of a position. You're a captain."
"I shipped on board here before the mast, Captain Downs, and knew
exactly what I was doing. I'll take my medicine."
"I don't like to have you go for'ard there among those cattle, Mayo."
"Captain Downs, it was wrong for me to make the break I did on your
quarter-deck. I ought to have kept still; but the thing came to me so
sudden that I went all to pieces. I'd like to step back into the crew
and have you forget that I'm Boyd Mayo. I'll sneak ashore in Boston and
lose myself."