“I thought you were ranchmen the first time I saw you,” said the clerk. “You have lively times out there with the bears and mountain lions and all the other things. Do you live far from the river?”
“Well, it is a good piece. You see we are not used to the ways of the city, and when we get out there we are at home.”
Their passage was soon paid, their valises secured from the porter and placed in their new room, and the two went back to their chairs on the boiler deck. When the bell rang for dinner they went in, and scarcely had they seated themselves in their chairs again when they discovered two men coming up the stairs. They were both well dressed and were evidently going somewhere on business, for they had valises in their hands. They looked all around as if searching for somebody, and then one of them ventured to address Carl.
“I beg your pardon, sir, but can you tell me when this boat sails?” said he, politely.
Remembering what Mr. Morphy had said to him in regard to making friends with strangers, Carl did not act as he usually did when he was approached by persons with whom he was not acquainted. He looked up and simply said.
“You will find the clerk in his office.”
“So he is,” said the man. “So he is. Come on, Bob, and we’ll soon see how much it is going to cost us to go up to Fort Scully.”
“There are a couple of men that we want to keep out of the way of,” said Carl, gazing after the passengers as they walked into the cabin. “They are going up our way, but we will not make friends with them, or with anybody else.”
“Why, I took that man for a gentleman,” said Thompson. “He begged your pardon before he spoke to you.”
“That may be; but some of the biggest rascals there are agoing can be gentlemen when they please.”