did not care whether the boy was a saint or a demon.

"I don't care what he b'longs to, nor how many Sunday schools he goes
to: he stole sunthin' from me, and I cal'late he'd steal from other
folks, if he would from me."

"That's good logic, Zeke; but you mustn't be hard on the boy."

"I ain't hard on him."

"I reckon that folks generally think more of him than you seem to. By
the way, did he say anything to you about that boat he picked up over on
the other shore?"

"No; he never said nothin' to me about it."

"Didn't he?"

"No; he never says nothin' to me about anything."

"That's a fine boat," added Captain Chinks, who had taken a lead pencil
from his pocket, and was tapping the glass with it, as if to ascertain
the quality of the material of which it was composed.

"So I've hearn tell; but I hain't seen her only from the shore."

"It's strange no one comes after her," suggested the captain. "Zeke,
there's a mystery about that boat."

"Sho!"

"Of course I don't know anything about it; but I reckon the owner would
have been after her, if there hadn't been some reason for keeping in the
dark."

"You don't say so!"

"Well, you see I only guess at it. I don't know no more about it than
you do; perhaps not so much."

"I don't know nothin' at all about it," protested Ezekiel.

Captain Chinks tapped the glass, and did not seem to care about anything
in particular, least of all about that boat, which was the subject of
the conversation.

"What do you mean by a mystery, cap'n? I hain't hearn nothin' of no
mystery afore."

"I had some talk with your boy about the boat and her cargo."

"What cargo? I hain't hearn nothin' o' no cargo."

"Won't you take another nip of this brandy, Zeke?" added Captain Chinks,
pushing the bottle towards him.

"Don't care if I do. That's good brandy."

"But it isn't any better than a lot which was aboard that boat when your
boy picked her up."

"Sho! You don't say she had brandy in her?"

"No, I don't say so. I say again that I don't know anything at all about
the matter. I only had my suspicions, you know."

"I understand," replied Ezekiel, as he drank off his dram.

"I don't know, but in my judgment that boat was loaded with brandy, or
something that don't pay tribute to Uncle Sam."

"You don't say so!"

"No, I don't say so," replied Captain Chinks, sharply, for he was very
particular not to be regarded as affirming what he only suspected. "I
only guess so."