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"You see they did not consider me a prize"

"The rascals! Good job you missed that boat Christobal has been

tellin' one under"

"Do you really think so?"

"Can't see any chance for them, Miss Maxwell"

"But we are almost as badly situated here?"

"Huh, not a bit of it Lucky chap, Courtenay He couldn't lose a ship

if he tried She 'd follow him 'cross country like that pup Look at

me: lost three, all brand new from the builders One foundered, one

burnt, an' one stuck on the Goodwins I'm careful, steady as any man

can be, but no oould trust me with a ship now, unless she was a

back number, an' over-insured Even thenthat sort of crazy old tub through the Northwest passage So

I'ives out"

A good deal of this was Greek to Elsie But she knew that Boyle was a

man of curt speech, unless deck hands required the sti of connected sentences was a rare occurrence

It argued that the "chief" was not unwilling to indulge in reminiscence

"Why do you consider Captain Courtenay so fortunate?" she asked,

flushing souile which lay behind the question

"Huh," snorted Boyle, a on so obvious a fact "Don't you call it luck to be given