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Updated: June 12, 2025
"Looks like a harmless little toy to burn black powder, don't she?" he remarked. He stripped off the tarpaulin and the false brass muzzle to display as pretty a little Maxim as you would care to see. "Now you know all about it," he said. "Look here, Captain Selover," I demanded, "don't you know that I could blow your whole shooting-match higher than Gilderoy's kite.
It's making a good deal of talk." "But King's not a newspaper man," retorted Broderick, puzzled. "He's a banker. How's he going to run a journal? That takes money experience." "Quien sabe?" Richardson vouchsafed. "Sinton of Selover and Sinton's his financial backer. Jim Nesbitt helps with the writing. You know Nesbitt, don't you? Slings a wicked pen. But King writes his own editorials I'm told.
We stripped her of every stitch and sliver until she floated high, an empty hull, even her spars and running rigging ashore. I understood now the crew's grumbling. We literally went at her with a nail brush. Captain Selover took charge of us when we had reached this period. He and the Nigger and Perdosa had long since finished the installation of the permanent camp.
One minute, two, three minutes, it was a dreadfully long time, and then it was the voice of Abe Selover mixed with a long yelp from Quib. "Come on, boys! I've shoved him through. I'm going right up after him. Nothing to pull away but some sods." "Dat's de tog!" exclaimed Mr. Hamburger. "Keep shtill, black poy! De rest of dose vootshucks is coming. Keep shtill."
In spite of his personal filth, in spite of the lawless, almost piratical, character of the man, in that moment I could not but admire him. If Percy Darrow was ignorant of the purposes of this expedition, how much more so Captain Selover. Yet he accepted his trust blindly, and as far as I could then see, intended to fulfil it faithfully. I liked him none the worse for snubbing me.
"You have arms enough to give your crew about two magazine rifles apiece unless you filled all your berths forward!" Captain Selover looked me direct in the eye. "Talk straight, Mr. Eagen," said he. "What is this ship, and where is she bound?" I asked, with equal simplicity. He considered. "As for the ship," he replied at length, "I don't mind saying.
In contact with the men, I dreaded lest sooner or later he do something to lessen or destroy the awe in which they held him. Of course Dr. Schermerhorn had been mistaken in his man: A real captain of men would have risen to circumstances wherever he found them. But who could have foretold? Captain Selover had been a rascal always, but a successful and courageous rascal.
"But you look shipshape. Come, I'll show you your quarters." Immediately I discovered what I had suspected before; that on so small a schooner the mate took rank with the men rather than the afterguard. Cabin accommodations were of course very limited. My own lurked in the waist of the ship a tiny little airless hole. "Here's where Johnson stayed," proffered Selover.
"It's dark enough," said Andy. "Come on, boys!" shouted Abe Selover. "We'll have that woodchuck this time. He's in this cave, somewhere." They were not very much afraid to keep a little way behind Abe Selover, and in a few minutes they heard him say: "Quib! Is he there? Have you got him?" Quib barked and whined, and the sound seemed to come from away above them. "Come on, boys!
I rowed out to the Laughing Lass very thoughtful, and a little shaken by the plausible argument. Captain Selover was lying dead drunk across the cabin table. I did my best to waken him, but failed, took a score of cartridges no more and departed sadly. Nothing could be gained by staying aboard; every chance might be lost.
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