"Lucky? I should say
we are! It's up to the master of the tug very frequently whether,
under such conditions, his task has been a mere towage job at the
going rates or a salvage proposition to be settled in court. I dare
say Matt will give us the benefit of the doubt and call it towage."
"Don't deceive yourself!" Skinner snapped. "It's salvage; Murphy said
so. After he got close in Peasley refused to name a price and came
aboard and made Murphy sign a paper acknowledging that his ship was in
distress and dire peril, before he would even put a line aboard him--"
"Wow! Wow! The tugboat company will libel the ship now, and sue us
for fifty thousand dollars' salvage on vessel and cargo," and Cappy
groaned, for he owned both. "By George!" he continued. "I didn't
think Matt would do anything like that to me. No, sir! If anybody
had told me that boy could be such an ingrate I'd have told him--"
A youth entered Cappy's office uninvited.
"Captain Peasley to see you, sir," he said.
"Show the infernal fellow in," rasped Cappy, and Matt Peasley stalked
into the room.
"I should like to see you privately, Mr. Ricks," he announced, and
cast a significant glance at Skinner, who took the hint and left the
room at once.
Matt sat down. "Well," he said, "I guess the tug Sea Fox and owners,
together with her doughty skipper and crew, will finger some of your
hard-earned dollars before long, Mr.
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