And suppose another ship came in to-
night? Everything's possible! And the difficulty is
this Dobbs. He's as drunk as a marine. How can we
trust him? We ain't insured--worse luck!"
"Suppose you took him aloft and got him to point out
the channel?" suggested Carthew. "If he tallied at all
with the chart, and didn't fall out of the rigging,
perhaps we might risk it."
"Well, all's risk here," returned the captain. "Take
the wheel yourself, and stand by. Mind, if there's two
orders, follow mine, not his. Set the cook for'ard
with the heads'ls, and the two others at the main
sheet, and see they don't sit on it." With that he
called the pilot; they swarmed aloft in the fore
rigging, and presently after there was bawled down the
welcome order to ease sheets and fill away.
At a quarter before nine o'clock on Christmas morning
the anchor was let go.
The first cruise of the CURRENCY LASS had thus
ended in a stroke of fortune almost beyond hope. She
had brought two thousand pounds' worth of trade,
straight as a homing pigeon, to the place where it was
most required.
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