Why, my dear sir, I had an article extolling the whole line in
the most appropriate terms, and this ship in particular, put into the
journal at Rotterdam. It was so well done, that not a soul suspected it
came from a personal friend of yours."
The captain was rolling the small end of a cigar in his mouth to prepare
it for smoking, the regulations of the ship forbidding any further
indulgence below; but when he received this assurance, he withdrew the
tobacco with the sort of mystifying simplicity that gets to be a second
nature with a regular votary of Neptune, and answered with a coolness of
manner that was in ridiculous contrast to the affected astonishment of
the words:--
"The devil you did!--Was it in good Dutch?"
"I do not understand much of the language," said Mr. Dodge, hesitatingly;
for all he knew, in truth, was _yaw_ and _nein_, and neither of these
particularly well;--"but it looked to be uncommonly well expressed. I
could do no more than pay a man to translate it. But to return to this
affair of running in among the Scilly Islands such a night as this."
"Return, my good fellow! this is the first syllable you have said about
the matter!"
"Concern on your account has caused me to forget myself. To be frank with
you, Captain Truck, and if I wer'n't your very best friend I should be
silent, there is considerable excitement getting up about this matter.
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