“I don’t know whether he employs me or not. I work for him. He has got to live up to his promises better than he has though, or I’ll put him where he won’t do quite so much business as he has been doin’ this summer.”
“What is his business?”
“Don’t you wish you knew?” said the skipper. There was an expression in his eyes that indicated that the man was deficient. Indeed, Fred whispered to John, “I don’t believe the fellow is all there. I guess if you knocked on his head you’d find nobody home.”
“He certainly looks the part,” agreed John, “but I want to find out more about Mr. Halsey, as he calls him.”
“You didn’t tell us what business Mr. Halsey is engaged in,” added John as he turned once more to the skipper.
“Of course I didn’t. That’s the question a good many folks would like to have answered.”
“Does he have any business?”
“Business! Business!” exclaimed the skipper. He had previously explained that his name was Rufus Blodgett and that he was commonly called Rufe by his passengers and friends. “He doesn’t work more than twelve hours a day, let me tell you, and he gets better pay than anybody around these diggins.”
“And nobody knows what his business is?”
“I know,” said Rufe, slyly winking as he spoke.