CHAPTER XXIV. CLIP MAKES A LITTLE MONEY FOR HIMSELF.

 About noon the next day, while Clip was at the helm, there was a sudden jolt¹ that jarred the boat from stem to stern, if I may so speak of a double-ender ferry-boat.

 

Bob and Sam, who had been occupied with re-arranging some of the cargo², rushed up to the colored pilot.

 

"What on earth is the matter, Clip asked Bob.

 

"'Clare to gracious, I dunno, Massa Bob," asseverated³ Clip.

 

Bob didn't need to repeat the question. Clip had steered⁴ in shore, and the boat had run against a tree of large size which had fallen over into the river, extending a distance of a hundred feet into the stream. Of course the boat came to a standstill.

 

"What made you do this, Clip?" said Bob, sternly.[Pg 208]

 

"Didn't do it, Massa Bob. Ol' boat run into the tree himself."

 

"That won't do, Clip. If you had steered right, there would have been no trouble."

 

"I steered just as you told me to, Massa Bob."

 

"No, you didn't. You should have kept the boat at least a hundred and fifty feet from the shore."

 

"Didn't I, Massa Bob?" asked Clip, innocently.

 

"No. Don't you see we are not more than fifty feet away now?"

 

"I didn't get out and measure, Massa Bob," said Clip, with a grin.

 

"Now, own up, Clip, were you not looking at something on the bank, so that you didn't notice where you were steering⁵?"

 

"Who told you, Massa Bob?" asked Clip, wondering.

 

"I know it must be so. Do you know you have got us into trouble? How am I going to get the boat back into the stream?"

 

Clip scratched his head hopelessly. The problem was too intricate for him to solve.[Pg 209]

 

"I think, Clip, I shall have to leave you over at the next place we come to. You are more bother than you are worth."

 

"Oh, don't, Massa Bob. I won't do so again. 'Deed I won't."

 

Bob didn't relent for some time. He felt that it was necessary to impress Clip with the heinousness⁶ of his conduct. At length he agreed to give him one more chance. He had to secure the services of two stout⁷ backwoodsmen to remove the tree, and this occasioned a delay of at least two hours. Finally the boat got started again, and for the remainder of the day there was no trouble.

 

Towards the close of the afternoon they reached a place which we will call Riverton. It was a smart Western village of about two thousand inhabitants. Bob and Sam went on shore to get some supper, leaving Clip in charge.

 

"Now, Clip, you must keep your eyes open, and take good care of everything while we are gone," said Bob.

 

"All right, Massa Bob."

 

About ten minutes after the boys went away[Pg 210] Clip was sitting on a barrel whistling a plantation⁸ melody, when a slender, florid-complexioned young man stepped aboard.

 

"Good-evening, sir," he said, removing his hat.

 

"Evenin'," answered Clip, with a grin. He was flattered by being addressed as "sir."

 

"Are you in charge of this boat?"

 

"Yes; while Massa Bob and Sam are gone ashore¹⁰."

 

"Are they boys like yourself?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Are you three all that are on board—I mean all that man the boat?"

 

"Yes, massa."

 

"Where are you bound?"

 

"To St. Louis."

 

"Do you think they would take me as passenger?"

 

Clip shook his head.

 

"They won't take no passengers," he answered. "An ol' woman wanted to go as passenger, and another man" (Clip was unconscious of the bull), "but Massa Bob he said no."[Pg 211]

 

"Suppose I make a bargain with you," said the man, insinuatingly¹¹.

 

"What you mean, massa?" asked Clip, rolling his eyes in wonderment.

 

"Can't you hide me somewhere without their knowing I am on board?"

 

"What for I do dat?" asked Clip.

 

"I'll make it worth your while."

 

"What's dat?"

 

"I'll give you five dollars."

 

"For my own self?"

 

"Yes; for yourself."

 

"And I won't have to give it to Massa Bob?"

 

"No; you can spend it for yourself."

 

"But Massa Bob would find out to-morrer."

 

"If he finds out to-morrow I shan't mind."

 

"And you won't take back the money?"

 

"No; you can keep the money at any rate."

 

"Where's the money?" asked Clip, cautiously.

 

The stranger took out a five-dollar gold piece, and showed it to Clip. Clip had seen gold coins before, and he understood the value of what was offered him.[Pg 212]

 

"Where can I put you?" he said.

 

"We'll go round the boat together, and see if we can find a place."

 

The round was taken, and the stranger selected a dark corner behind a bin¹² of wheat.

 

"Will Massa Bob, as you call him; be likely to look here?"

 

"No; I reckon not."

 

"Have you got anything to eat on board which you can bring me by and by?"

 

"I'm goin' on shore soon as Massa Bob gets back. I'll buy something."

 

"That will do."

 

The stranger ensconced himself in his hiding-place, and soon after Bob and Sam returned.

 

"Has anybody been here, Clip?" asked Bob.

 

"No, Massa Bob," answered Clip, solemnly.

 

Poor Clip's moral convictions were rather obtuse¹³, and a lie did not impress him as seriously wrong.

 

"What have you been doing while we were away?"

 

"Nothin', Massa Bob."

 

"That's what you like best to do, Clip, isn't it?"[Pg 213]

 

"Dat's where you're right, Massa Bob. Yah, yah!"

 

"Well, you can go to your supper, Clip. Here's some money."

 

"All right, Massa Bob."

 

Clip did not seem in any great hurry to go. He was rather afraid that Bob and Sam would explore the boat while he was away. Finally he walked away with slow steps, looking back from time to time.

 

"What's got into Clip?" said Bob, wonderingly.

 

"I guess he isn't hungry," answered Sam, with a laugh.

 

Ten minutes later Bob's attention was drawn¹⁴ to a crowd of men and boys who were approaching the boat. He naturally wondered what was the object of the assemblage.

 

The leader called out to Bob, when he had approached sufficiently¹⁵ near:

 

"I say, boy, have you seen anything of a man with dark hair, florid complexion⁹, wearing a light suit, running along the bank?"

 

"No, sir. Why?"

 

"A man of that description has stolen a[Pg 214] sum of money from a dry-goods store in the town. He was seen running in this direction. We thought you might have seen him."

 

"No, sir; I have seen nothing of such a man."

 

Bob little dreamed that the thief in question was concealed¹⁶ at that moment within twenty-five feet of where he was sitting.

 

1 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

2 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

3 asseverated   

v.郑重声明，断言( asseverate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He asseverated that he had seen a flying saucer. 他坚持说，他看见了飞碟。 来自辞典例句

4 steered   

v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
• The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

6 heinousness   

参考例句：

8 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

9 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

10 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

11 insinuatingly   

参考例句：

• Corell said insinuatingly,"Are you afraid, Colonel?" 科雷尔很婉转地说：“你害怕了吗，上校？” 来自辞典例句

12 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

13 obtuse   

adj.钝的；愚钝的

参考例句：

• You were too obtuse to take the hint.你太迟钝了，没有理解这种暗示。
• "Sometimes it looks more like an obtuse triangle,"Winter said.“有时候它看起来更像一个钝角三角形。”温特说。

14 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

15 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

16 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。