unconcerned and unapproachable as only the young can look. There he
stood, clean-limbed, clean-faced, firm on his feet, as promising a boy as the
sun ever shone on; and, looking at him, knowing all he knew and a little more
too, I was as angry as though I had detected him trying to get something out of
me by false pretences. He had no business to look so sound. I thought to myself
- well, if this sort can go wrong like that... and I felt as though I could
fling down my hat and dance on it from sheer mortification, as I once saw the
skipper of an Italian barque do because his duffer of a mate got into a mess
with his anchors when making a flying moor in a roadstead full of ships. I asked
myself, seeing him there apparently so much at ease - is he silly? is he
callous? He seemed ready to start whistling a tune. And note, I did not care a
rap about the behaviour of the other two. Their persons somehow fitted the tale
that was public property, and was going to be the subject of an official
inquiry. That old mad rogue upstairs called me a hound, said the captain of the
Patna. I can't tell whether he recognised me - I rather think he did; but at any
rate our glances met. He glared - I smiled; hound was the very mildest epithet
that had reached me through the open window. Did he? I said from some strange
inability to hold my tongue. He nodded, bit his thumb again, swore under his
breath: then lifting his head and looking at me with sullen and passionate
impudence - Bah! the Pacific is big, my friendt. You damned Englishmen can do
your worst; I know where there's plenty room for a man like me: I am well
aguaindt in Apia, in Honolulu, in... He paused reflectively, while without
effort I could depict to myself the sort of people he was aguaindt with in those
places. I won't make a secret of it that I had been aguaindt with not a few of
that sort myself. There are times when a man must act as though life were
equally sweet in any company. I've known such a time, and, what's more, I shan't
now pretend to pull a long face over my necessity, because a good many of that
bad company from want of moral - moral - what shall I say? - posture, or from
some other equally profound