"Can"t help it. I promised to take Taylor and his friends out, and they are all here now. There are the stores for his party," replied Ben, as a couple of men brought a large basket on board, from the top of which protruded the necks of a demijohn and several bottles.
"I shall not go with that party," added Lawry.
"But I want a pilot," said Ben.
"What"s the trouble, Wilford?" demanded Taylor.
"Let me tell him you will go, Lawry?" whispered Ben. "He may be hard on you if you don"t."
"I will not. I must see Mr. Sherwood at once."
"What"s the matter?" asked Ethan.
Lawry was explaining what had happened, when Ben came down with Taylor.
"I shall not go in her till I have seen Mr. Sherwood," added Lawry, as he finished his brief statement.
"Then I shall not," said Ethan.
"I can steer her myself," said Ben to Taylor.
"Certainly you can."
"Mr. Sherwood will be down soon, and we must be off before he gets here."
"Go up, and start her then," added Taylor.
Without noticing Lawry and Ethan, Ben rushed up to the wheel-house, and ordered the deck-hands to cast off the fasts, which was done. He knew how to steer a boat, and understood the bells, having had considerable experience on board the large steamers. He rang to back her, supposing Ethan was at his post in the engine-room.
She did not back, and he rang again, but with no better success than before.
"Back her!" shouted he, through the speaking-tube.
There was no answer; and, filled with anger, the new captain rushed down to the engine-room to "blow up" the engineer. He found Ethan on the main-deck.
"What are you doing there?" demanded Ben. "Don"t you hear the bells?"
"I heard them," replied Ethan quietly.
"Why don"t you start her, then?"
"I"ve nothing to do with her."
"Don"t you run that engine?"
"I don"t."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I will have nothing to do with the engine as things are now."
Ben raved and stormed at Ethan; then he tried to coax him to take his place; but the engineer was as firm as the pilot had been. Taylor offered him ten dollars if he would run the engine that day; but he positively refused. The new captain then went down to the fire-room, where the man in charge of the furnaces was promoted to the position of engineer.
"Now we can go it," said Ben.
"No; don"t start her," said the sheriff.
"Why not?"
"I am responsible for the safety of this boat, and she shall not go with neither pilot nor engineer."
Taylor and the new captain swore terribly; but the sheriff was immovable.
CHAPTER XVI
THE EXCURSION TO WHITEHALL
Lawry was no lawyer, and was therefore unable to form an opinion in regard to the legality of the steps by which the _Woodville_ had been taken from him. It was an accomplished fact, and he was as disconsolate as though he had lost his best friend. He went on sh.o.r.e, and until the peremptory order of the sheriff was given, he expected to see the steamer shoot out from the wharf and disappear beyond the point, in charge of another person than himself.
He had refused to pilot the steamer under the new order of things, not because he wished to be spiteful to his brother, but because he was smarting under a sense of injustice, which unfitted him for the duty. Though he did not comprehend the legal measures which had been taken, he felt that there was something wrong. The _Woodville_ belonged to him, not to his father; and though he was willing to give all his earnings for the support of the family, and even to pay off the mortgage on the place, he felt that it was not right to take the steamer from him.
He stood on the wharf, paralyzed by the calamity which had overtaken him. He wanted to do something, but he did not know what to do. The sheriff, by his caution, had defeated the plans of the new captain, and Lawry was waiting to see what would happen next. He wished to see Mr. Sherwood, and he would have hastened up to his house if he could have endured the thought of losing sight of the steamer even for a moment. Ethan was still on deck, for though he refused to run the engine, he felt it to be his duty to stand by and see that no accident happened, for the steam was up, and the fireman was an unskillful person.
Ben Wilford and Taylor were disappointed and chagrined at their failure to get off. They stormed and swore, till it was apparent that storming and swearing would not start the steamer. The sheriff positively refused to let the boat depart without a competent pilot and engineer.
"What shall we do, Wilford?" said Taylor. "Can"t you persuade your brother to take hold again?"
"He"s as obstinate as a mule; but I"ll try," replied Ben.
"Offer him twenty dollars for his day"s work," added Taylor.
"I may be able to compromise with him, if you"re willing."
"Anything you please, if you can make him and the other fellow go with us."
"Lawry, Mr. Taylor will give you twenty dollars if you will pilot the steamer to-day," said Ben.
"I wouldn"t go for a hundred," replied the young pilot. "I won"t go with you at any rate."
"Don"t be so obstinate, Lawry."
"I engaged the boat to Mr. Sherwood, and I will not go with anybody else."
"Mr. Sherwood won"t care when he finds out that you are not to blame. You can"t resist the law, and it isn"t your fault."