"I reckoned all that in with my figgerin'. If you start for the Patuxent river I shall run over to the Delaware shore an' pick up a boat somewhere."
"They knew how much of a crew you had when the oyster bargain was made."
"Well, what if the boys went ashore to go home for a couple of days? That yarn will go down, I reckon, an' if it don't I'll have to take the chances for the sake of gettin' you to Joshua Barney as soon as it can be done."
Darius had evidently considered the plan well, and I understood that nothing would turn him from it unless one of us flatly refused to carry it into execution, which, considering all the importance of getting information to the commodore, I was not prepared to do. At the same time, the idea of going back to Nottingham in no better craft than our canoe, was by no means to my liking.
"If you've got it worked out, Darius Thorpe, an' allow it should be done, I'm ready," Bill Jepson said, "an' it ain't noways strange that I should be willin' to jump at anythin', considerin' I'm like to go to the yard-arm if captured now."
The old man looked inquiringly at Jerry, and my partner said slowly much as if not being exactly certain what he thought of the scheme:
"I'm willin' to go if it so be you want to keep the pungy here; but 'cordin' to my way of thinkin' the chances are against our gettin' there in the canoe."
"You can do it if the wind don't breeze up, an' it ain't likely to at this time of the year." Then, as if considering the question settled absolutely, Darius cried out to Jim, "Have you stowed everythin' in the canoe?"
"Ay, sir, an' I've taken all the provisions for them, so we'll be left to suck our thumbs when we get right hungry."
Darius not only planned the journey while we were absent; but had gone ahead with the preparations as if advised in advance that we would agree to it.