"Guess you'll have to excuse me," replied Nat. "I'm busy."
"What doing?"
"I'm waiting for a job. I may get one helping carry out some light freight, and I need the money."
"How much will you get?"
"Oh, if I'm lucky I may make a dollar."
"I'll give you more than that for saving my boat. I want to explain that I didn't understand what you had done when I spoke so quickly."
"Oh, that's all right," said Nat good-naturedly. "But if you're going to give me a dollar I guess I can afford to quit here," and he stepped out of the line, the gap immediately closing up, for there were many in search of odd jobs to do about the dock whenever a steamer came in.
"Here are five dollars," went on the young man, producing a bank bill.
"Five dollars!" exclaimed Nat. "Say, mister, it ain't worth all that—saving the boat."
"Yes, it is. That craft cost my father quite a sum, and he would have blamed me if she had been smashed. I'm much obliged to you. I'm sorry I thought you were stealing her, but it looked——"