“Pray don’t talk in that way, my lord,” said Dick. “I wish that you knew how much pleasure I feel in serving you.”
“I am sure of that; but once for all, Hargrave, I want you to understand that while we remain on this island I am ‘Reginald’ or ‘Oswald,’ and you are ‘Hargrave,’ the better man of the two. Don’t ‘My lord’ me any more. I am not worthy of it. That sort of style may do very well in Old England, or on board a man-of-war, though my messmates there treated me as an equal, and took good care to make me feel that I was one, too. Will you accept my services, and let me work under your orders?”
“I cannot refuse you anything,” answered Dick; “but until you are as strong and hearty as I am, you must let me work for you, and not knock yourself up by attempting tasks for which you have not the strength.”
“Well, well, my dear Hargrave, we understand each other, and while we are talking the turtle and cakes are getting cold.”
Dick at last, getting Lord Reginald to sit down on one of the three-legged stools he had made, placed the breakfast on the table.
“There is one thing you are not provided with, Hargrave, that is tea and sugar,” observed Lord Reginald; “but perhaps we may find some substitute. Coffee grows in these latitudes, and very likely we may find sugar-cane in some part of the island.”
“I saw some pods full of seeds, looking in shape very much like coffee berries, only they were white,” said Dick.
“That was because they were unroasted,” answered Lord Reginald. “I should not be surprised if those seeds were really coffee berries, and if so we shall soon have something to drink instead of this nectar, of which I confess I am beginning to get very tired, delicious as it tasted while I was suffering from fever.”
Dick sighed as he thought, “Perhaps the young lord will get tired of other things, as also of my society, when he regains his strength.”
His companion looked at him, but made no remark. “What about the boat you propose building?” asked Lord Reginald, when breakfast was over. “Could not we begin on that? And if you will show me how I can best help you, we will lose no time.”