That realization
shocked me broad awake. At the same instant I saw the shipmaster
approaching. He was not Orontides, nor was he at all like him. He had
small feet, was knock-kneed, tall, lean, had a hatchet-face and red hair.
"Awake at last!" he commented. "You lads must have dined gloriously last
night. You don't look half yourselves, yet."
He stared at me, and at Agathemer, who had waked, into much the same sort
of daze in which I had been at first.
"Neptune's trident!" the shipmaster exclaimed. "You two aren't the two
lads I was to convoy! Who are you and how did you get here?"
"We were hunting for our ship after dark," Agathemer said, "and somebody
hailed us. We asked whether it was Orontides and the answer that came back
was: 'Aye, Aye!' We were pretty thoroughly drunk and were glad to be
helped aboard and shown our beds. That's all I know."
"Kingdom of Pluto!" the shipmaster cried, "my name's Gerontides, not
Orontides. I heard your question, but you were so drunk I never knew the
difference: probably I shouldn't have known the difference if you had been
sober. I was on the lookout for two lads much like you two who had part
paid me to carry them to Genoa. They'll be in a fix."
"'Bout ship," said Agathemer, "and put back to Ostia.
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