“Hullo!” he cried, “what do you want?” and as he spoke he saw that the man had a little coil of line over one arm.
“Only coming to keep you company, Mr Steve,” he said, drawing himself up the last few feet and reaching the boy’s side.
“Oh, but it’s too bad!” cried Steve hotly. “It’s treating me as if I were a child. You’ve brought this line up to tie me on.”
“I’ve brought the line up because it may be useful, sir,” said Johannes gravely; “and I’ve come up because the captain thought the way aloft was very dangerous.”
“And so did you, and asked him to let you come?”
Johannes was silent.
“I knew it!” cried Steve. “I do wish you people wouldn’t treat me as if I were a baby.”
“Yes, I did ask him to let me come, sir,” said the Norseman; “for it’s more dangerous than even he thinks. I saw you make that slip when you started, though he did not; and I felt that if you made a slip higher up I might be handy to help you.”
“Yes, but—” began Steve.
“And he gave me leave to come up.”