"You never can tell what they're going to do in Boston," growled the
outside man. "I get discouraged, sometimes, trying to be enterprising."
He began to pace, looking worried, and did not reply to several
questions that Mayo put to him. So the young man accepted Captain
Dodge's invitation and climbed to the tugboat's pilot-house. He had a
very human hankering to know what the coming of that tug from the main
signified, and decided to hang around a little while longer, even at the
risk of making Captain Candage impatient.
The Resolute brought a telegram, and the man in the fur coat slapped
it open, took in its gist at one glance, and began to swear with great
gusto.
He climbed into the Ransom's pilot-house, with the air of a man
seeking comfort from friends, and fanned the sheet of paper wrathfully.
"Orders to resell. Get out from under. Take what I can get. Don't want
the gamble. And here I have cleaned a good profit already."
"Why don't you fire back a message advising 'em to hold on?" asked
Captain Dodge.
"And have a gale come up in a few hours and knock her off'n this rock?
That's what would happen. It would be just my luck. I'm only a hired
man, gents. If my firm won't gamble, it ain't up to me. If I disobey
orders and hold on, I'll be scared to death the first time the wind
begins to blow. There's no use in ruining a fine set of nerves for a
firm that won't appreciate the sacrifice, and I need nerve to keep on
working for 'em. I say it ain't up to me. Me for shore as soon as I
load those lighters. Every dollar I get by reselling is velvet, so let
'ergo!"
"What do they tell you to do about price?" ventured Mayo.
"Take the first offer--and hurry about it. They seem to have an idea
that this steamer is standing on her head on the point of a needle, and
that only a blind man will buy her."
He went back to his crew, much disgusted, ordered the freshly arrived
tug to wait for a tow, and spurred laggard toilers with sharp profanity.
"Somebody has been scaring his concern," suggested Mayo, left alone with
Captain Dodge.
"Perhaps so--but it may be good business to get scared, provided they
can unload this onto somebody else for a little ready cash. This spell
of weather can't last much longer. Look at that bank to s'uthard. I
don't know just what is under her in the way of ledges--never knew much
about old Razee. But my prediction is, she'll break in two as soon as
the waves give her any motion."