"
"You forget she's a foreign-built vessel and hence cannot run between
American ports."
"She can run between North and South American ports," Matt replied
doggedly. "I bet if I owned her I'd dig up enough business in Brazil
and the Argentine to keep her busy. I'd be dodging backward and
forward through the Canal."
"You would, of course," Jerry answered placidly; "but the Oriental
Steamship Company cannot."
"Why?"
"Fifty-one per cent. of their stock is owned by a railroad--and under
the law no railroad-owned ship may use the Canal."
Matt's eyebrows arched.
"Ah!" he murmured. "Then that's one of the reasons why she's a white
elephant on their hands."
"Got a customer for her?" Jerry queried shrewdly. "A fellow ought to
be able to pick the Narcissus up rather cheap."
Matt shook his head negatively.
"Happened to pass her in a launch a couple of hours ago, and the sight
of the barnacles on her bottom just naturally graveled me and roused
my curiosity. Much obliged for your information." And Matt excused
himself and strolled over to the counter of the Hydro-graphic Office
to look over the recent bulletins to masters.
The information that the whistling buoy off Duxbury Reef had gone
adrift and that Blunt's Reef Lightship would be withdrawn for fifteen
days for repairs and docking interested him but little, however.
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