It's our job to get dock and tug to the nearest
port."
"But suppose--suppose----"
"Suppose what?"
"Suppose th' thing gits arfter us, sir?"
Madden stared, "Thing--what thing?"
The cockney frowned, looked glumly across deck. Galton answered,
"W'y, sir, th' thing that run th' crew hoff the _Minnie B_ an' hoff
th' _Vulcan_. Crews don't 'op hoff in th' hocean for amoosement,
sir. Some'n' done hit an' that's sure."
"Do you mean you object to sailing this tug on account of some imaginary
_thing_?" demanded Madden in utter surprise.
"Imaginary, sir!" protested Mulcher, "If you please, us lads on th'
dock, the night th' _Minnie B_ sunk, saw something swim off to th'
south wrapped hall over in fire, sir. Imaginary thing! It bit a 'ole in
th' _Minnie B_ an' sunk 'er, sir!"
This recalled to Leonard's mind the peculiar phenomenon he had witnessed
at the sinking of the _Minnie B_.
"What do you think the thing is?" he temporized.
"A--A sea sorpint, sir," stammered a cockney embarrassed.
"Sea serpent! Sea serpent!" scouted the American. "There is no such
thing as a sea serpent!"
"That's w'ot th' hofficers always say," growled Mulcher.
"But it is a scientific fact--there's no such thing."
The well-fed Gaskin, who formed one of the group, made a bob.
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