Don Sebastian bowed. “It is agreed. One can trust you to do nothing that would injure your country. But we have some arrangements to make.”
Shortly afterwards Dick left the wine-shop, and returning to the camp went to see Stuyvesant.
“I want to go away in a few days, perhaps for a fortnight, but I’d like it understood that I’d been sent down the coast in the launch,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I mean to start in her.”
“Certainly. Arrange the thing as you like,” Stuyvesant agreed. Then he looked at Dick with a twinkle. “You deserve a lay-off and I hope you’ll enjoy it.”
Dick thanked him and went back to his shack, where he found Jake on the verandah.
“I may go with the launch, after all, but not to Coronal,” he remarked.
“Ah!” said Jake, with some dryness. “Then you had better take me; anyhow, I’m coming.”
“I’d much sooner you didn’t.”
“That doesn’t count,” Jake replied. “You’re getting after somebody, and if you leave me behind, I’ll give the plot away. It’s easy to send a rumor round the camp.”
Dick reflected. He saw that Jake meant to come and knew he could be obstinate. Besides, the lad was something of a seaman and would be useful on board the launch, because Dick did not mean to join the steamer Kenwardine traveled by, but to catch another at a port some distance off.