before me mopping his forehead. "I'll tell you what, though: Murder
there'll be if you don't help me give that devil the slip."

"But, sir, he never offered to follow you."

"Because he reckoned I couldn' run--or wouldn', as I've never run
from him yet. But with you in the secret I must give him leg-bail,
no matter what it costs me. And, see here, Brooks: you're clever for
your age, an' I want your advice. In the first place, I daren't go
home; that's where he'll be watchin' for me sooner or later. Next,
our plans ain't laid for startin' straight off--here as we be--an'
givin' him the go-by. Third an' last, I daren't go carryin' the
secret about with me; he might happen on me any moment, an' I'm not
in trainin'. The drink's done for me, boy, whereas _he_'ve been
farin' hard an' livin' clean." Captain Coffin, with his hands deep
in his pockets, stared down at the transport at anchor below, and
bent his brows. "I can't turn it over to you, neither," he mused.
"That might ha' done well enough if he hadn' seen you in my company;
but now we can't trust to it."

He took another dozen paces forth and back, and halted before me
again.

"Brooks," he said, "how about your father?"

"The very man, sir," I answered; "that is, if you would trust him."

"Cap'n Branscome tells me he's one in a thousand. I thought first o'
Branscome, but there's folks as know about my goin' to him for
navigation lessons; an' if Glass got hold o' that, 'twould be a hot