M. Rubempre's good clothes secured the
respect and confidence of those he encountered, and most of the officers
freely told him where they were bound, and talked with great gusto of
the business in which they were engaged. But none of them could
guarantee him a safe passage to any port on the blockaded coast.
The excursion in the boat was continued, for the visitors had not yet
seen the steamer they were the most anxious to examine. The detective
would not inquire about this steamer, fearful that it might be reported
by the negro at the oars, and excite suspicion. But at last, near the
entrance to the harbor, the boatman pointed out the Dornoch, and told
them all he knew about her. There were several lighters alongside,
discharging coal and other cargo into her.
M. Rubempre, in his broken English, asked permission to go on deck, and
it was promptly accorded to him. He was very polite to the officers, and
they treated him with proper consideration. There were no guns in sight,
and the steamer looked like a merchantman; but if she had been searched,
her armament would have been found in the hold. The visitor again
repeated his desire to obtain a passage to the South; and this request
seemed to satisfy the first officer with whom he talked.
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