Part 33 (2/2)
”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.”
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