Ralph, cap in hand, asked politely, "Captain, can you take two passengers?"
"Two what?" roared the captain as he gave a final pull, and fastened the sheets around a belaying-pin.
"Passengers," answered Ralph meekly, feeling very much like retreating before the roar.
"Do you take this for a Cunarder?"
Ralph and Ben laughed, and said, "No; we see it is nothing but a fishing-smack."
"Nothing but--humph, you little land-lubbers, don't you know this craft will beat anything else afloat?"
"Will it?" asked Ralph, eying the craft narrowly. "It looks as if it might. Will you take us?"
"Humph! you want to go fishing, do you? Your clothes look like that business. Got any overalls anywhere about you?"
"No, but we have thick old things in our valises."
"If you'll take us, captain, we will pay you just what you ask. We'll give you ten pounds," said Ben recklessly, with his hand in his pocket grasping the little red pocket-book that contained just that sum, sent by his father to defray his part of the camp expenses.