"He'll rot there, unless he offers to serve the king, in which case, seein's how the enemy needs good sailors, they'll give him a show that a dog wouldn't welcome."
"Did you ever run across Bill Jepson from Baltimore?" I asked at random, not knowing exactly how to lead up to the request for a rope.
"Ay, that I have, lad. Bill an' me run on this same pungy more'n two years. I've heard it said that one of the king's press gangs gathered him in."
Then I told the captain how we had helped Bill to desert, and wound up the story by sayin:
"Bill is a prisoner with Darius, and will be hung when the Britishers learn who he is. There's a show to help both the sailors out of the scrape; but we're needing six or eight fathom of good manilla rope, an' haven't got the money with which to buy it."
"How do you count on usin' it?" and Captain Hanaford leaned forward in a manner which told that he was thoroughly excited.
Then I told him all we had accomplished that morning, and explained what Darius proposed we should do, whereupon he cried heartily:
"Take anything I've got, lads, an' if it so be I can lend a hand, count on me to the finish. I'll risk even the pungy to help a sailorman out of a hole, an' a good deal more'n that when it comes to bein' Bill Jepson who's in trouble!"
Now that we were assured of getting what was needed, there was no need of great haste, and I told the captain the remainder of our story, even to describing where father and the lads were hiding.
"Whether you get Bill an' Darius out of jail or not, you'll be wantin' to go down the river, lad, so why don't you bring all hands aboard? I've known your father this many a day, an' would like to do him a good turn. We'd be a little crowded, I reckon; but some of you youngsters can bunk in the hold, an' if the Britishers don't burn the pungy, she'll be a sight better than a smoke-house."