Haste and Waste Part 33

"But it will wear you out in a month. Mother is afraid you will kill yourself, running the boat night and day."

"If you were captain I should have to be in the wheelhouse all the time, just the same."

"Well, I don't insist on it, Lawry," replied Ben, with becoming meekness. "I was only saying what would be best for all concerned."

"I will talk with Mr. Sherwood."

"Whatever you say, he will agree to. Now, give me the wheel, Lawry, and you go and see your pa.s.sengers."

Ben took hold of the wheel, and the young pilot involuntarily released his grasp on the spokes. The older brother was certainly in a very amiable frame of mind, and it was perfectly proper to encourage him; but there was no more need of a mate than there was of another captain. Rounds, as the older of the two deck-hands, now performed the duties of that office. There was no freight to be received and discharged, which the mate superintends; and there was nothing for him to do but attend to the gangplank and the mooring lines, and see that the decks were washed down when required.

Lawry was not quite willing to leave the wheel in charge of his brother, for he was painfully conscious that he could not always be trusted. Ben was not often in so pliable a frame of mind, and the little captain could not help suspecting that he had some object in view which was not apparent, for he had twice declared, that if he was not captain of the _Woodville_ no one should be. He was not prepared to believe that Ben would run the boat on the rocks, or set her on fire; but he deemed it prudent to keep his eye on him, and on the course of the steamer.

Ben steered very well, and Lawry left the wheel-house. At the door he met Mr. Sherwood, just as that gentleman had discovered who was at the helm.

"How's this, Lawry? Have you got more help?" asked his friend.

"I didn't know Ben was on board till we were two miles from the wharf. I hope you don't object, sir."

"Certainly not, Lawry. If you are satisfied, I have no reason to be otherwise."

"Ben talks very fair this morning; and I'm sure I don't want to quarrel with him."

"Of course not."

"He still thinks he ought to be captain, and that it would be better for me;" and Lawry stated his brother's argument.

"That's all very pretty," replied Mr. Sherwood. "If you wish to give your brother the command of your steamer, it is not for me to interpose any objection."

"But I want to follow your advice."

"I think you had better let things remain as they are, for the present, at least. Do as you think best, Lawry. I don't want to influence you."

This conversation took place near the door of the wheel-house, and, though the parties had not so intended, Ben heard every word of it.

"Do as you think best, Lawry," continued Mr. Sherwood.

"I want to do what you think is best, sir."

"You know my opinion. Your brother's habits--I am sorry to say it--are not good. I should not be willing to trust him. You cannot place much confidence in a young man who is in the habit of getting drunk.

I don't want to hurt your feelings, Lawry, but I must be frank with you."

Ben ground his teeth with rage, as he listened to this plain description of himself, and, in accordance with his usual practice in such cases, vowed to be revenged upon the man who had traduced him, which was his interpretation of Mr. Sherwood's candid statement of the truth.

"I think you are right, sir," replied Lawry, realizing that Ben was not fit for the command of the _Woodville_, even if he was disposed to give it to him.

"Lawry, I have been compelled to change this excursion into a partial business trip. I am going to buy the surplus-gold of a bank in Burlington, and you must leave me there and go on to Port Kent. On your return, you can stop for me," continued Mr. Sherwood. "What is your engagement for to-morrow."

"At Whitehall, sir."

"Capital! You can convey my gold through, so that I can take the morning train at Whitehall for New York."

"If we get back to Port Rock by six, we can reach Whitehall by twelve."

"Well, that is sooner than I wish to arrive," added Mr. Sherwood thoughtfully. "I shall have ten thousand dollars in gold with me, which, at the present rate, is worth about twenty-five thousand dollars in currency. It would be a great temptation to any rogues, who might find out the specie was on board. How would it do to start from Port Rock at midnight?"

"It will do just as well, sir."

"Then I shall reach Whitehall just in time for the train. But, Lawry, I see that you must have another pilot on board."

"I think I can get along, sir."

"You will wear yourself out. You have run a portion of the last two nights, and this arrangement will make the third."

"I can sleep just as well at Port Rock as at Whitehall. To-morrow will be Sat.u.r.day, and my engagements for Monday and Tuesday are at the upper end of the lake, so that I shall have no more night work at present. I can stand it well enough."

"I'm afraid it will be too much for you; but if you have to engage an extra pilot, you must raise your price to sixty dollars a day."

"I think we shall need another engineer at the same time. Ethan has just as hard a time of it as I do."

"You had better raise your price; people will not object."

"I was thinking, sir, that Ben would make a good pilot. He is a good wheelman, and it wouldn't take him long to learn the courses on the lake."

Mr. Sherwood shook his head.

"Would you be willing to trust him with the boat?--go to sleep yourself, while he is at the helm?" asked he.

"I think I would, after he had learned the navigation."

"He is your brother, Lawry, and I don't like to say anything to wound you; but I feel that your brother is not a reliable person. You must be very prudent. Even a trifling accident, resulting from mismanagement, might ruin your business; for people will not expose their lives needlessly. If Ben will run the ferry the rest of the year, keep sober, and behave well in every respect, you might make a pilot of him, or even captain, another season."

Doubtless this was good advice, and the little captain had so much confidence in his friend and benefactor that he could not help adopting it. Mr. Sherwood went into the cabin again, without any conversation with the subject of his severe but just comments. Lawry was on the point of leaving the hurricane-deck, where he had talked with his adviser, when he noticed that the boat was headed toward the sh.o.r.e, and in a moment more would be aground in the shoal water off Barber's Point. He rushed into the wheel-house, and found that Ben had abandoned the helm. Grasping the wheel, the pilot brought her up to her course, and then turned to his brother.

"What do you mean, Ben, by leaving the wheel?" demanded Lawry, filled with indignation at his brother's treachery.

"Don't talk to me," growled Ben.

"The boat would have been aground in a minute more."

"I wish she was."

"What's the matter, Ben?"

"I thought you were my brother; but you are not."

"I'm sorry to hear you talk so; and I didn't think you would do so mean a thing as to run the boat ash.o.r.e."

"I'll do anything now. I heard what Sherwood said to you, and what you said to him. I didn't think you would let any man talk about your brother as he did. Do you suppose I would let any man talk like that about my brother? I'll bet I wouldn't! I'd knock him over before the words were out of his mouth."