Blow the Man Down - A Romance of the Coast

"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.