Oh, boy, I knew he meant me.
CHAPTER XXXII
I MAKE A DANDY FRIEND
That was the first time I ever rode in a tugboat, and believe me, it was great. I stood right beside the wheel in that little house and pointed out the channel to Captain Savage all the way up to North Bridgeboro. That’s one thing I sure know—the channel. Anyway, if you don’t know it, follow the abrupt shore. But with a tug-boat, good night, you have to be careful because a tug draws so much water. He was going up there after a lumber barge, he said.
First, he didn’t say anything, only smoked, and it was like a fog in there. Pretty soon he said:
“So you youngsters don’t take nuthin’ fer services, huh?”
“We have to do a good turn if we see a chance,” I told him.
Then he wanted to know all about the scouts, how they were divided into troops and patrols and everything, and after I told him all that, we got to talking about our vacation and about Temple Camp, and especially about the house-boat. I asked him if he thought a three horsepower engine would drive the house-boat up the Hudson, so we could get as far as Catskill Landing in a couple of weeks.
He said, “It would be more like a couple of years, I reckon.”
“Good night!” I said, “if it takes us two years to get there and we have to be home inside of a month, I see our finish. I suppose it costs a lot of money to get towed.”
He said, “Wall now, whin I bring in a Cunarder and back her into her stall, it stands them in a few pennies.”