Salters, who felt that his honour had been somewhat
plastered, "I said I didn't know as 'twuz any business o' mine, 'fore I
spoke."

"An' right there," said Tom Platt, experienced in discipline and
etiquette--"right there, I take it, Disko, you should ha' asked him to
stop ef the conversation wuz likely, in your jedgment, to be
anyways--what it shouldn't."

"Dunno but that's so," said Disko, who saw his way to an honourable
retreat from a fit of the dignities.

"Why, o' course it was so," said Salters, "you bein' skipper here; an'
I'd cheerful hev stopped on a hint--not from any leadin' or conviction,
but fer the sake o' bearin' an example to these two blame boys of
aours."

"Didn't I tell you, Harve, 'twould come araound to us 'fore we'd done?
Always those blame boys. But I wouldn't have missed the show fer a
half-share in a halibutter," Dan whispered.

"Still, things should ha' been kep' sep'rate," said Disko, and the
light of new argument lit in Salters's eye as he crumbled cut plug into
his pipe.

"There's a power av vartue in keepin' things sep'rate," said Long Jack,
intent on stilling the storm. "That's fwhat Steyning of Steyning and
Hare's f'und when he sent Counahan fer skipper on the _Marilla D. Kuhn_,
instid o' Cap. Newton that was took with inflam'try rheumatism an'
couldn't go. Counahan the Navigator we called him."

"Nick Counahan he never went aboard fer a night 'thout a pond o' rum
somewheres in the manifest," said Tom Platt, playing up to the lead.
"He used to bum araound the c'mission houses to Boston lookin' fer the
Lord to make him captain of a tow-boat on his merits. Sam Coy, up to
Atlantic Avenoo, give him his board free fer a year or more on account
of his stories.

"Counahan the Navigator! Tck! Tck! Dead these fifteen year, ain't he?"

"Seventeen, I guess. He died the year the _Caspar McVeagh_ was built; but
he could niver keep things sep'rate. Steyning tuk him fer the reason
the thief tuk the hot stove--bekaze there was nothin' else that season.
The men was all to the Banks, and Counahan he whacked up an iverlastin'
hard crowd fer crew. Rum! Ye cud ha' floated the _Marilla_, insurance an'
all, in fwhat they stowed aboard her. They lef' Boston Harbour for the
great Grand Bank wid a roarin' nor'wester behind 'em an' all hands full
to the bung. An' the hivens looked after thim, for divil a watch did
they set, an' divil a rope did they lay hand to, till they'd seen the
bottom av a fifteen