"We thought we wouldn't bring her up to-night," replied Lawry coldly.
"I knew you wouldn't, my boy. You didn't keep your promise."
"And you didn't keep yours."
"I didn't make any. If I'd promised to fetch that steamer up, she'd been here."
"You promised to run the ferry, and you left it."
"No, I didn't, Lawry. Don't you talk so to me. You know too much," added Ben angrily. "You never will raise that steamer in two thousand years."
Ben looked at her; he did not seem to be pleased to find her on the top of the water. His oft-repeated prophesy2 had been a failure, and Lawry was full as smart as people said he was.
"Humph!" said he. "She isn't much of a steamboat if those barrels brought her up."
"There she is; and I have done all I promised to do."
"What are you going to do next, Lawry?"
"I'm going to pump her out next."
"You'd better do it pretty quick, or she'll go to the bottom again," added Ben, as he walked into the house.
"There comes Mr. Sherwood, with the ladies," said Lawry, as he glanced up the road.
"I congratulate you, boys," said Mr. Sherwood, as he grasped Lawry's hand. "We gave three cheers for you on the hill, when we saw that you had raised the Woodville."
"Thank you, sir. We worked pretty hard, but we were successful."
"You have done bravely," said Mrs. Sherwood. "We thought, from what your brother said last night, that you would fail."
"Ethan and I didn't think so."
"I suppose you wouldn't sell very cheap to-night, Lawry," added Mr.
Sherwood.
"No, sir; the Woodville is a gift, and I should not be willing to sell her at any price."
"Well, Lawry, I am as glad as you are at your success. Do you want any help yet?"
"No, sir; we are just going on board of her to stay overnight, for we are afraid the heavy wind will do mischief3."
"I wouldn't do that. You must rest to-night."
"I'm afraid something will happen if we don't look out for her."
"Are you going to pump her out to-night?"
"We may begin pretty early in the morning," said Lawry, with a smile.
"Haste and waste, my boy. If you stay on board of her to-night, and get sick, you will not make anything by your labor4."
"If the wind goes down, we shall sleep ashore5 as usual. I don't think it blows quite so hard as it did."
"I don't," added Ethan.
His wife whispered to him just then.
"Yes, Bertha," he continued. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do, Lawry. I have four men at work for me. I can spare them one day, and they shall pump out the Woodville for you."
"You needn't object," interposed Mrs. Sherwood.
"Indeed you must not, Lawry," added Miss Fanny. "I am afraid you will both be sick if you work so hard."
"We can easily pump her out ourselves," said Ethan.
"You needn't say a word, Ethan," added Fanny Jane.
"I suppose we shall have to submit," replied Lawry, laughing. "We can't oppose the ladies."
"Just as you say, Lawry," said Ethan.
"You shall have the men to-morrow, boys. Now you must go to bed, and not think of the steamer till morning," continued Mr. Sherwood.
As the wind seemed to be subsiding7, the boys went into the house; and though it was not quite dark, they "turned in," tired enough to sleep without rocking. Ben was at his supper, in no pleasant frame of mind. He was dissatisfied with himself, and with his brother, who had succeeded in his undertaking8 contrary to his prophecy. He was envious9 and jealous of Lawry. Now that his father was away, he thought he ought to be the chief person about the house, being the oldest boy.
"I'm not going to stay at home, and be a nobody," said he angrily.
"We don't wish you to be a nobody," replied his mother.
"Yes, you do; Lawry is everybody, and I'm nobody."
"You've been drinking, Benjamin."
"What are you talking about, Benjamin? Lawry has not interfered11 with you. He will treat you kindly12 and respectfully, as he treats everybody."
"What do you want him to do?"
"I want him to pay some attention to what I say," snarled15 Ben. "I suppose he thinks that steamboat belongs to him."
"Certainly he does," replied Mrs. Wilford.
"I don't."
"Don't you? Whom does it belong to, then?"
"I'm not a fool, mother; I know a thing or two as well as some others. Lawry is not of age."
"Neither are you."
"I know that, but I'm older than he is."
"You are old enough to behave better."
"How do you expect me to be anybody here, when I have to knock under to my younger brother? I say the steamer don't belong to Lawry any more than she does to me. I have just as much right in her as he has."
"What do you mean by talking so, Benjamin? You know that Mr.
Sherwood gave the steamer to Lawry, and the bill of sale is in
Lawry's name."
"I don't care for that! she's just as much mine as she is his, and he'll find that out when she gets to running. Lawry's a minor16, and can't hold any property; you know that just as well as I do."
"What if he is? I think he will be permitted to hold the steamboat, and run her."
"I don't think so. I was talking with Taylor, who holds the mortgage on this place, and he don't think so," added Ben, in a tone of triumph.
"What did he say?"
"Well, he means to attach the steamboat on the note he holds against father."
"He will not do that!" replied Mrs. Wilford.
"He says so, anyhow."
"He will foreclose the mortgage on the place if he wants to get his money."
"The place will not sell for enough to pay his note, and he knows it. No matter about him—the steamboat belongs to father, just as much as the ferry-boat does; and I think I ought to have something to say about her."
"If you want to do anything for the family, why can't you run the ferry-boat, Benjamin?"
"And let Lawry run the steamboat? Not if I know myself!" replied Ben, with savage17 emphasis. "He may run the ferry-boat, and I'll run the steamer."
"That would be neither fair nor right. The steamer belongs to Lawry, and I will never consent that he shall be turned out of her."
"I don't want to turn him out of her. I'll take charge of her, and he may go pilot; that's all he's good for."
"You mean that you'll be captain?"
"That's what I mean."
"I don't think Lawry will want any one to be captain over him.
"If I don't run that steamer, nobody shall!" said Ben angrily, as he rose and left the house.
"Good evening, Mrs. Wilford," said Mr. Sherwood. "Has Lawry gone to bed?"
"Yes, an hour ago."
"Is he asleep?"
"I suppose he is."
"All right, then."
"What in the world are you going to do with such a crowd of men, Mr.
Sherwood?"
"I'm going to help the boys finish their job. Ethan told me they had stopped the leak, and it only remained to pump out the steamer. I am going to do this job; and I have men enough to finish it in a couple of hours."
"I should think you had," added Mrs. Wilford.
"I have gathered together all the men I could find. Don't say a word to the boys, if you please. I intend to surprise them. They will find the steamer free of water in the morning."
"You are very kind, Mr. Sherwood, to take so much trouble."
"The boys have worked so well that they deserve encouragement. May I take the ferry-boat to convey my men up to the steamer?"
"Certainly, sir."
Mr. Sherwood encouraged the men to work well by the promise of extra pay; and the laborers19 seemed to regard the occasion as a grand frolic. They exerted themselves to the utmost, and the buckets flew along the lines, while the pumps rolled out the water in a continuous flow. As the steamer, relieved of the weight that pressed her down, rose on the surface of the lake, it was only necessary to lift the water from below and pour it upon the deck, from which it would run off itself.
The job did not last long before such a strong force; and in two hours the work of the bailers was done. Ethan had fully13 described the method by which the hole in the hull20 of the Woodville had been stopped; but Mr. Sherwood had some doubts in regard to the strength of the material, and he went below to examine the place. Lawry and his fellow laborer18 had had no opportunity to test the strength and fitness of the work they had done, while the boat was full of water.
On examination, Mr. Sherwood found several small jets of water streaming through the seams between the planks21, outside of the canvas carpet, which he stopped with packing from the engineer's storeroom. The braces22 which the boys had put over the hole kept the oilcloth in position, and when the packing had been driven into the open seams with a chisel23 and mallet24, hardly any water came in around the aperture25. The boys were warmly commended by their partial friend for the skill they had displayed in stopping the leak; and some of the men, who were familiar with vessels26, that the steamer would not leak ten strokes an hour.
It was therefore safe to leave her; and Mr. Sherwood was satisfied that the boys would not find the water up to the bottom of the cabin floor in the morning. He carefully examined every part of the steamer to assure himself that everything was right before he left her. The pumps were tried again, just before they embarked27 for home, but they yielded only a few strokes of water.
The party returned to the landing, and Mr. Sherwood cautioned the men not to make any noise as they passed the cottage, fearful that the boys might be awakened28 and the delightful29 surprise in store for them spoiled. But Lawry and Ethan, worn out by the fatigue30 and excitement of the day, slept like logs, and the discharge of a battery of artillery31 under their chamber32 window would hardly have aroused them from their slumbers33. The men went to their several homes, and all was quiet at the ferry.
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1
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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prophesy
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| v.预言；预示 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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5
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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6
overdo
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| vt.把...做得过头，演得过火 | |
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7
subsiding
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的现在分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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8
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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9
envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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10
fiddle
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| n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动 | |
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11
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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12
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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13
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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14
grunting
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| 咕哝的，呼噜的 | |
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15
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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18
laborer
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| n.劳动者，劳工 | |
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laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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20
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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21
planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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22
braces
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| n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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23
chisel
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| n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿 | |
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mallet
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| n.槌棒 | |
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aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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26
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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27
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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28
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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29
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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30
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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31
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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32
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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33
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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