Читать книгу The Captain from Connecticut онлайн

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"Tell them," said Peabody, "to meet me behind Tortuga on the second of next month."

Hunningford nodded.

"They wouldn't come," he said, "unless I told them that there was a capable captain in command. I'll tell them that, too."

Peabody shot a surprised glance at him, but Hunningford reverted instantly to his former tone of light cynicism as he rose to his feet.

"This has been a stimulating interview, Captain," he said. "I'm glad to see a ship of force in these islands again. And I expect the prizes taken will return me a very handsome commission."

Peabody watched the cutter go racing off again, wing-and-wing, to the southward. He wondered, as he saw her sink over the horizon, whether her captain was a mere venal person who took tainted money, or a very brave man who was cheerfully risking the gallows in his country's cause. He strongly suspected Hunningford to be the latter. When he reached his cabin again he found that his dinner party had progressed perfectly satisfactorily in his absence.