"Can I have a marline-spike and about five minutes' help?" asked the voice.
"Jump up there, boy," said the captain, turning to Bob.
Our hero, having heard the request, knew just what to do. He caught up a marline-spike and ran aloft with it, and met with another surprise so great that he came very near letting go his hold and going back to the deck in a much greater hurry than he went up. The sailor who was at work was an old companion and friend. He it was who had built his first model yacht and taught him to sail it on the bay, and many an hour had he passed in old Ben's cabin telling him stories of the sea. He had heard Bob promise his father that under no circumstances would he ever make a first voyage as a sailor. He had been employed by some of the country houses to do various kinds of work, but one night he disappeared, and was never heard of afterward. The most of the people believed that he had grown tired of work ashore and had gone off to sea.
"Sweet!" exclaimed Bob, hardly able to believe his eyes.
"Not a word out of you," said the sailor, glancing below to make sure that the captain was not watching. "I was glad to see you at first, but now I am sorry, for you came very near letting the cat out of the bag when you first came alongside."
"Why, Sweet, how came you here?" said Bob, lowering his tone. "Did you get tired of the shore?"
"Tired? No; I was shanghaied and sent to sea against my will, and I know who was at the bottom of it."
"But when I came alongside I saw my father," said Bob, earnestly.
"And Ben saw him, too, didn't he? But he was too smart to make a fuss about it."
"Make a fuss? I tell you, I will raise a fuss here—"