“Let Mr Dellow do it. He’ll be able to see to that all right.”
“No,” said the captain shortly. “You go and try. Another time I should like to go with you and be a boy again.”
“Well, you know your own business best; so we must put off the pleasure of having you with us till another day,” said Brace.
“Yes,” the captain replied; “but I warn you to take care, my lad. No going overboard. I wouldn’t give much for your chance of getting out of the water again.”
“But there are not likely to be any alligators or crocodiles there.”
“I dunno,” said the captain. “I shouldn’t like to risk it. There’s likely to be plenty of all kinds of dangerous fish or reptiles up yonder, and size don’t count. A thousand of the little tiny sticklebacks of fish in these rivers are more dangerous than one big fellow ten foot long.”
A quarter of an hour after the meal was finished, Lynton, Dan, and four of the sailors, with their faces full of sunshine, had taken their seats in a boat which had been lowered, while the men left on board looked down at them as if through clouds.
“I hope you will be careful, my lad,” said Sir Humphrey.
“You may trust me, Free; I shall not do anything rash,” said Brace, laughing.
“I shall look forward to a pleasant evening over your specimens, Briscoe,” said Sir Humphrey, speaking more warmly to the American than had been his custom.