“Your father would never forgive me if I took you on a voyage without his knowledge and consent.” “He will never know it. We will not tell him what ship we went in; will we, Matt?” “To be sure we will not,” answered the Swikes, who was ready to indorse all that his companion said. “I think he would find it out, even if I were mean enough to do such a thing as to leave him to worry for months about you. No, my lads: I don’t like the idea of taking you to the coast of Africa, where you would be almost certain to have the fever, and almost as certain to die with it.” “I don’t want to go to any such place,” protested Matt. “I would rather go to prison than to die with such a disease. Can’t you send us back, captain?” “I may be able to do so: I will see. I may come across some in-bound vessel that will take you back to New York, if you pay your fare,” replied the master of the “Housatonic,” pleased with the turn affairs had taken. “I’m sure I don’t want to go to any place where there is sickness,” added Lon. “But we will pay our fare back if you will put us into another vessel.” “Have you money enough to pay your way back to Midhampton? because, if you have not, I will lend you some.” “I think we have enough, though I don’t know how much it will be,” added Lon. “But you were going to pay your passage to the coast of Africa and back; and of course you have enough to carry you to New York,” said the captain, who wished to know something about the finances of the runaways. “I did not suppose the fare to the place where you are going would be more than forty or fifty dollars,” replied Lon. “Exactly so: then you must have at least a hundred dollars apiece; and that will more than take you back to New York.” “We haven’t quite a hundred apiece,” added Lon, giving all the information Capt. Crogick wished to obtain. “You are quite flush for a couple of boys,” said the shipmaster with a smile. “As your father didn’t know you were coming, Alonzo, I suppose he did not give you this money.” Lon bit his lip; and now for the first time he understood what the captain was driving at. He wanted to know where he got his money. “My father didn’t give it to me; and I did not steal it. It was some money I have been saving up for years, for I always had plenty of money to spend,” replied Lon. “It takes a good while for a boy to save up a hundred dollars.” “I say I have been saving it for years, and for just this thing. You told me you ran away from home when you were a boy, and went to sea; and now you are the captain of a ship. Who knows but that I may be the captain of a ship?” “I know you will not. I didn’t run away from a good home such as you have; and I did not crawl in at the cabin window, as you are trying to do. I suppose this other boy saved up his money in the same way,” continued the captain, turning to Matt. “Yes, sir, every cent of it,” protested Matt, who was willing to swear to any thing that Lon said.