Captain Nugent wondered dismally whether life ashore would infect him with the same opinions.
"What about that man of mine who threw a belaying-pin at me ?" The harbour-master quailed at the challenge.

The obvious retort was offensive.
"I shall carry the mark with me to my grave," added the captain, as a further inducement to him to reply.
"I hope that you'll carry it a long time," said the harbour-master, gracefully.
"Here, look here, Hall!" expostulated captain number two, starting up.
"It's all right, Cooper," said Nugent.
"It's all right," said captain number one, and in a rash moment undertook to explain.

In five minutes he had clouded Captain Cooper's intellect for the afternoon.
He was still busy with his self-imposed task when a diversion was created by the entrance of a new arrival.

A short, stout man stood for a moment with the handle of the door in his hand, and then came in, carefully bearing before him a glass of gin and water.

It was the first time that he had set foot there, and all understood that by this intrusion Mr.
Daniel Kybird sought to place sea-captains and other dignitaries on a footing with the keepers of slop-shops and dealers in old clothes.