“You wouldn’t know Captain Joe,” laughed Clay. “He’s got to be the biggest, fiercest, wisest, pluckiest bulldog in the world.”
“And Teddy bear! You remember him of course,” Jule put in. “He ate up two pirates down the river, body and bones, and is so fat that we have to help him out of bed. Great bear, that!”
“Boys, boys,” warned Captain Joe. “Don’t exaggerate. I’ve always told you not to exaggerate. Do you think Captain Joe will know me?”
“Of course he will,” said Case. “Captain Joe never forgets a friend.”
“And now that you are here,” Clay put in, “you are going to remain with us while we go back down the St. Lawrence to St. Luce and return here. Then we’ll either ship the boat to Chicago or take her slowly up the lakes. Won’t that be a fine old trip?”
“It listens pretty good to me,” Captain Joe answered. “To be honest with you, boys,” he continued, “I’ve been wanting a trip on the Rambler, but I never felt like getting away until now.”
“You sailed on the St. Lawrence once a good many years ago, didn’t you, Captain Joe?” asked Jule.
“Did I?” asked Captain Joe extending his stubby forefinger by way of emphasis. “Did I sail on the St. Lawrence river? Boys, I know every inch of it, up one side and down the other and through the middle.”
“Then you’ll be a great help to us,” Clay suggested.
“Oh, you boys don’t need any help navigating a boat on any river,” Captain Joe asserted. “You boys are all right! But I was going to tell you about the St. Lawrence river.”