'If you want to
hold on,' says I, 'and try your hand at a hermitage,' says I, 'or to
play Robinson Crusoe,' says I, 'you must be out, of the way when the
Crisis, sails'--boys, what's become of the old ship? Not a word have I
heard about her, yet!"
"She was loading for London, when we sailed, her owners intending to
send her the same voyage over again."
"And they refused to let you have her, Miles, on account of your
youth, notwithstanding all you did for them?"
"Not so; they pressed me to keep her, but I preferred a ship of my
own. The Dawn is my property, Master Moses!"
"Thank God! then there is one honest chap among the owners. And how
did she behave? Had you any trouble with the pirates?"
Perceiving the utter uselessness of attempting to hear his own story
before I rendered an account of the Crisis, and her exploits, I gave
Marble a history of our voyage, from the time we parted down to the
day we reached New York.
"And that scaramouch of a schooner that the Frenchman gave us, in his
charity?"
"The Pretty Poll! She got home safe, was sold, and is now in the
West-India trade. There is a handsome balance, amounting to some
fourteen hundred dollars, in the owners' hands, coming to you from
prize-money and wages."
It is not in nature, for any man to be sorry he has money.
Pages:
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671