"Howdy!" replied Jimmie, with a wave of his hand. "What'll you have?"
"Vell," replied the visitor, "schnapps vas goot, but you couldn't get 'em here. Dis isn't no blace for dot! No, sir!"
"I wasn't inviting you to have a drink," snapped Jimmie somewhat confusedly, "I meant to ask you what's on your mind."
"So-o-o-o!" exclaimed the newcomer with a long drawn expression of surprise. His shaggy eyebrows raised as he extended his chin and shrugged his shoulders, pantomiming an apology. "So, dot's it, eh?"
"Sure thing!" answered Jimmie, regaining his composure in a measure but with his face still flushed. "We want to know what you're after."
"Vell," went on the visitor, "my name's Captain Johannes von Kluck. Don'd forgot dot 'Captain' part, eider. Und I haf learned dot you chentlemans vas lookin' for a fine, fast ship. Und I have chust dot!"
As he made this announcement Captain von Kluck smiled a wide look of friendship at the entire party. It was a wonderful smile, beginning at the tiny wrinkles surrounding the corners of his eyes. From there it spread all over his face, gradually distorting the features until, as Jimmie afterward declared, the boys were forced to smile in spite of themselves.
"And where does your fine ship go, Captain von Kluck?" asked Ned.
"Chust vherefer you vant to go!" declared the captain solemnly. "Me, I am a goot navigator, und mine mate he is, too, a goot von!"
"We want to go to New York," continued Ned. "If you can arrange to furnish us passage to that port, we'll pay you well."
To this the captain answered by spreading his hands and shrugging his shoulders until they nearly reached his ears. Over his beaming face spread a look of despair. He slowly shook his head.
"To New York I cannot go!" he answered dolefully. "Bud I vill put you ashore in England, und from dere you can easy get a ship!"
"Well, that's better than nothing at all!" admitted Ned.
"Sure!" declared Jimmie. "Anything to get out of this place!"
"When can you be ready to sail, Captain?" inquired Ned.
"Who, me?" questioned the captain in a tone of surprise.
"Nobody else but you, your crew and we boys!" laughed Ned.
"Sure! Dot's all ridt!" nodded von Kluck. "Vhell, I'm ready now. Yet I haf some cheeses on board to put, und some odder tings!"