"If you and Dudley are there, that is good enough for me," he answered briskly. "I shall do my best to share in the fighting if the Indians come. But tell me more about them, please. Dudley mentioned something about a raid which was made quite recently."
As they discussed the meal Mr. Blunt outlined their doings on the rancho since he and Dudley had arrived from England, and did not fail to give due praise to his young manager. The tale opened Harold Joyce's eyes very wide indeed, and after that he looked at his old friend with increasing admiration, and swore once again that his old captain should be his model for the future.
"Now for work," said Mr. Blunt, when all the good things had disappeared. "We will hoist the sail first of all, and then push the vessel off the mud. There is a fine fresh breeze blowing upstream, and that should help us along wonderfully."
"What will happen when we get opposite the port again?" asked Dudley. "We have no anchor, and if we drop our sail we shall soon drift downstream again."
"There is a simple way out of the difficulty," was the prompt answer. "I will run her ashore on a soft spot as near the port as possible. Then I will go to the port authorities, make my complaints, and hire a boat and a couple of men to take us down to our own vessel."
They laid hold of the tackle at once, and by dint of much hauling finally got their sail up. Then the wind helped them more than they had expected, for, filling the sail at once, it drove them off the mud out into the middle of the stream. A little movement of the tiller brought the bow into the right direction, and very soon they were bowling along towards their destination. Indeed, in an hour they were opposite the port, which consisted of an official residence and office, a few private houses, and the odious saloons. There was a patch of soft mud just above the wharf, and Mr. Blunt calmly ran the vessel ashore there, dropping the sail when she was securely embedded. An hour later he and his young friends were aboard their own boat.
"As I thought," he said. "My complaints of those rascals were listened to politely. The official was all sympathy, but when it came to a question of action he merely shrugged his shoulders and pointed out that he had no one to help him. But he promised to send a report down to Buenos Ayres, while I myself will set private agents to work to make inquiries for me. However, our friend the official has promised to procure men to help in the loading, so that we may be off to-night."
Indeed, that same evening saw them sailing up the river, their old crew having come aboard.
"Of course they expressed the utmost surprise and indignation," said Mr. Blunt to Dudley, as the captain and his men filed aboard. "What can one say? I suspect them strongly. In fact I am positive that they kept out of the way purposely. However, they are necessary to us, and the failure of their friends will make them careful of their behavior in the future."
On the following day the vessel put in at the port at which Mr. Blunt's cattle were shipped, and they found Pepito waiting for them there, while half a dozen of the gauchos had ridden in to help with the logs, and to carry to the estancia the goods which had been bought in Buenos Ayres.