“If it is, Amos is probably with it,” Rose answered laughingly. “I suppose Amos is Amanda’s brother, who came to Brewster with you. Is it that red-headed boy sitting in the bow?”
“Yes, yes!” answered Anne, fairly jumping up and down in her excitement.
Amos was now near enough to recognize Anne, and took off his cap and waved it gaily. The boat drew up to the wharf, but Amos did not jump out as Anne expected.
“I can’t,” he explained. “Father told Captain Nash not to let me set foot on shore,” and Amos grinned as if he was delighted at what his father thought would be discipline. “I’m going to be on the ‘Sea Gull’ for months; maybe a whole year! Isn’t that fine?”
“Jump out, Amos,” said Captain Nash.
“But father said I wasn’t to step foot on shore,” responded the surprised boy.
“Unless I told you to,” added the captain, and Amos scrambled up onto the wharf a little disappointed at the permission. “Mr. Freeman has invited you to dinner,” added the captain, “but you must be here at the wharf at two sharp.”
“Yes, indeed, sir,” Amos answered promptly, looking back almost reluctantly toward the boat.
“Born for a sailor,” the captain said to Mr. Freeman, as Amos walked with Anne and Rose toward the Freemans’ house. He answered Anne’s questions about Aunt Martha, Uncle Enos, Amanda and the Starkweathers, and listened to her account of the wonderful journey to Boston.
“Wasn’t it great to be shut up in that dark room!” he exclaimed, when Anne told him of Bill Mains’ mistake. “Wish I’d been there. But maybe the ‘Sea Gull’ will run afoul of a pirate ship before long,” he concluded hopefully.