To the best of his knowledge he was a fool for being there.

His crew aboard the sloop had agreed upon that point with extreme vehemence and, to a man, had attempted to dissuade him from the mad project upon which he was launching himself among the Mormons in their island stronghold.

All this came to him while the little old man was looking up into his face, chuckling, and shaking his hand as if he were one of the most important and most greatly to be desired personages in the world.
"Hope there's nothing wrong, Cap'n ?" he repeated.
"Right as a trivet here, Dad," replied the young man, dropping the cold hand that still persisted in clinging to his own.

"But I guess you've got the wrong party.

Who's expecting me ?" The old man's face wrinkled itself in a grimace and one gleaming eye opened and closed in an understanding wink.
"Ho, ho, ho!--of course you're not expected.