Quicksilver Part 68

Whatcher been doing of now?"

"I? Nothing Bob."

"Yes, you have. You've got the boat aground."

"I--I didn't indeed, Bob. It went like that all of itself," stammered Dexter.

"Went all of itself! You are a fellow to leave to manage a boat. I just shut my eyes a few minutes and you get up to them games. Here, give us holt!"

He s.n.a.t.c.hed at the boat-hook, and began to thrust with all his might: but in vain.

"Don't stand staring like that," he cried, becoming all at once in a violent hurry to get on. "Come and help. D'yer want them to come and ketch us!"

Dexter went to his help, and by dint of thrusting together the boat was pushed off the shallows, and gliding once more into deep water began to float gently on.

There was a few minutes' silence, during which Bob took the sculls and began to pull, looking, with his eyes red and swollen up, anything but a pleasant companion; and in spite of himself Dexter began to think that Bob as a conversational friend across the water was a very different being to Bob as the captain of their little vessel, armed with authority, and ready to tyrannise over his comrade to the fullest extent.

Suddenly a thought occurred to Dexter as he ran his eye over the handsome cushions of the well-varnished boat.

"Bob!" he said.

There was no answer.

"Bob, did you take that parcel and drop it in Sir James's letter-box!"

"What parcel!" said Bob sourly.

"That one I threw over to you last night."

"Oh! that one as fell in the water?"

"Yes: did you take it?"

"Why, didn't you tell me to!"

"Yes: but did you?"

"Why, of course I did."

"That's right. I say, where are we now?"

"I d'know. Somewhere down the river."

"Hadn't we better begin to fish?"

"Fish? What for?"

"Because I'm getting so hungry, and want my breakfast."

"Yes, you're a nice fellow to wantcher bragfuss. Got no money and no clothes. I s'pose I shall have to keep yer."

"No, no, Bob. I'll work, or fish, or do anything."

"Yes, so it seems," said Bob sarcastically; "a-sitting there like a gent, and letting me do everything."

"Well, let me pull one oar."

"No, I can do it, and you shall have some bragfuss presently. I don't want to be took, because you've stole a boat."

Dexter turned pale, and then red with indignation, but he did not say anything, only waited till his lord should feel disposed to see about getting a meal.

This happened when they were about a couple of miles lower down the stream, which steadily opened out and became more beautiful, till at last it seemed to be fully double the size it was at Coleby.

Here they came abreast of a cl.u.s.ter of cottages on the bank, one of which, a long whitewashed stone building, hung out a sign such as showed that it was a place for refreshment.

"There," said Bob, "we'll land there--I mean you shall, and go in and buy some bread and cheese."

"Bread and cheese," faltered Dexter. "Shan't we get any tea or coffee, and bread and b.u.t.ter?"

"No! of course not. If we both get out they'll be asking us questions about the boat."

Bob backed the boat close to the sh.o.r.e, stern foremost, and then said--

"Now, look here, don't you make no mistake; but you jump out as soon as I get close in, and go and ask for four pen'orth o' bread and cheese.

I'll row out again and wait till you come."

Dexter did not like the task, and he could not help thinking of the pleasant breakfast at the doctor's, but recalling the fact that a fortune was not to be made without a struggle, he prepared to land.

"But I haven't got any money," he said. "No, you haven't got any money," said Bob sourly, as he tucked one oar under his knee, so as to get his hand free to plunge into his pocket. "There you are," he said, bringing out sixpence. "Look sharp."

Dexter took the money, leaped ash.o.r.e, and walked up to the little public-house, where a red-faced woman waited upon him, and cut the bread and cheese.

"Well," she said, looking wonderingly at her customer, "don't you want no beer!"

Dexter shook his head, lifted up his change, and hurried out of the place in alarm, lest the woman should ask him any more questions.

But she did not attempt to, only came to the door to watch the boy as he went back to the boat, which was backed in so that Dexter could jump aboard; but Bob, whose eyes were looking sharply to right and left in search of danger, just as a sparrow scrutinises everything in dread while it is eating a meal, managed so badly in his eagerness to get away, that, as Dexter leaped in, he gave a tug with the sculls, making the boat jerk so sharply that Dexter's feet began to move faster than his body, and the said body came down in a sitting position that was more sudden than agreeable.

"Well, you are a fellow!" cried Bob, grinning. "Any one would think you had never been in a boat before."

Dexter gathered together the portions of food which had been scattered in the bottom of the boat, and then sat looking ruefully at his companion.

"If any of that there's dirty, you've got to eat it," said Bob sourly.

"I shan't."

As he spoke he tugged as hard as he could at the sculls, rowing away till they were well round the next bend, and quite out of sight of the woman who stood at the door watching them, and as Bob bent down, and pulled each stroke well home, Dexter sat watching him with a troubled feeling which added to his hunger and discomfort. For once more it began to seem that Bob was not half so pleasant a companion as he had promised to be when he was out fishing, and they sat and chatted on either side of the little river.

But he brightened up again as Bob suddenly began to pull harder with his left-hand scull, turning the boat's head in toward the sh.o.r.e where a clump of trees stood upon the bank with their branches overhanging, and almost touching the water.