I really enjoyed this story, @universoperdido. The way the gossip travels through the men on the boat is humorous. The captain was rightfully surprised at how his words had been misinterpreted! A very enjoyable story, and beautifully told.

I'm assuming this is for last week's prompt. I will add your name to the list of authors for the week. I was looking for the word "scuttlebutt!" 😄