ot have got them into the water even if he had dared to try; and
as for the rest, as Dick said, "Guess dar owners must hab borrowed 'em."

The consequence was that the dark-skinned young fisherman was for once
compelled to put up with his own boat, or rather his father's.

The three wise men of Gotham were not much worse off when they went to
sea in a bowl than was Dick Lee in that rickety little old flat-bottomed
punt.

Did it leak?

Well, not so very much, with no heavier weight than Dick's; but there
was reason in his remark that "Dis yer's a mean boat to frow down a fish
in, w'en you cotch 'im. He's done gone suah to git drownded."

Yes, and the crabs would get their feet wet and so would Dick; but he
resigned himself to his circumstances and pushed away. To tell the
truth, he had not been able to free himself from a lingering fear lest
his mother might come after him, before he could get afloat, with orders
for some duty or other on shore, and that would have been worse than the
little old "scow," a good deal.

"Reckon it's all right," said Dick, as he shoved off. "It'd be an awful
risk to trus' dem nice clo'es in de ole boat, suah."

Nice clothes, nice boats, a good many other nice things, were as yet
beyond the reach of Dick Lee, but he was quite likely to catch as many
crabs as his more aristocratic neighbors.

As for Dabney Kinzer and his friend from the city, they were on their
way to the water-side at an hour which indicated smaller appetites than
usual, or greater speed at the breakfast table.

"Plenty of boats, I should say," remarked Ford, as he surveyed the
little "landing" and its vicinity with the air of a man who had a few
fleets of his own. "All sorts. Any of 'em fast?"

"Not many," said Dab; "the row-boats, big and little, have to be built
so they'll stand pretty rough water."

"How are the sail-boats?"

"Same thing. There's Ham Morris's yacht."

"That? Why, she's as big as any in the lot."

"Bigger, but she don't show it," said Dab.

"Can't we make a cruise in her?" said Ford.

"Any time. Ham lets me use her whenever I like. She's fast enough, but
she's built so she'll stand most anything. Safe as a house if she's
handled right."

"Handled!"

Ford Foster's expression of face would have done honor to the Secretary
of the Navy, or the chairman of the Naval Affairs Committee in Congress,
or any other perfect seaman, Noah included. It seemed to say: "As if any
boat could be otherw