"Five dollars a day!" exclaimed Jack in open-eyed amazement. "Do they take us for millionaires?"
"I began to think they were imposing upon us," said Harry, "till I made inquiries elsewhere. I find a pound a day is about the usual tariff for such accommodations as we have."
"But we have only a small bedroom, and the meals are very common."
"That is true, but it seems to make no difference."
"Our money will soon be gone at that rate," said Jack soberly. "Mine is already gone."
"No, it isn"t, Jack. We are going to share and share alike, you know."
"But that is imposing on you, Harry," protested the young sailor earnestly.
"Let me judge of that, Jack; I"d a good deal rather have your company and half of the money than be alone and have the whole."
"Thank you, Harry. You are a true friend. I can"t do much for you, but I"ll do what I can."
"If I had known of the high prices, I would have drawn more money from the professor," continued Harry. "However, I can make this do. But I want to start to-morrow, if possible. We shall then be owing four days"
board each, and that will make forty dollars."
At this point Fletcher joined them.
"By the way," said he nonchalantly, "I want to ask a little favor."
"What is it?" asked Harry unsuspiciously.
"I am rather short of money. Can you lend me five pounds?"
Jack looked at Harry in alarm. He was afraid Harry would grant the favor, knowing his obliging disposition. But he didn"t know our hero.
Harry was ready to do anything for a near friend, but he was too prudent to waste his money on acquaintances who had no sort of claim on him.
"I am sorry to refuse, Mr. Fletcher," he said, "but Jack and I are ourselves very poorly provided with money, and just before you came in we were considering how we could manage to pay for the necessary outfit."
"Haven"t you got five pounds?" asked Fletcher quickly.
"Of course we have, or we should be unable to get to the mines."
"Then I think you might oblige me," he continued, looking very much displeased.
"I am the best judge of my circ.u.mstances," said Harry shortly.
Fletcher looked hard at him, and saw that the boy he had to deal with had a mind of his own, and was not to be imposed upon easily. Still he made a farther effort.
"Then I think," he said coldly, "I shall not be able to a.s.sist you in your preparations."
"Just as you please," answered Harry promptly. "As you volunteered, I accepted your proposal. Now I will act for myself. I have heard of a party about to start, and I will arrange to join it."
Fletcher felt that he was outgeneralled. He did not mean to let Harry and Jack slip through his fingers, for he had an idea, notwithstanding Harry"s disclaimer, that he had a large sum of money, and thought he would be a good party to hang on to. He saw that he had made a false move, and hastened to repair it.
"Excuse me," he said, a.s.suming a hearty tone; "I was hasty, and I apologize. You are right, and I like you too well to cut up rough, just because you can"t do me a favor. There, take my hand, and we will make it all up."
"With pleasure," answered Harry, as he accepted the proffered hand, and Jack followed his example. Nevertheless Fletcher"s demand had produced an unpleasant effect upon him. The coa.r.s.e-grained selfishness of the man had shown through his outward varnish of good-fellowship, and he felt that henceforth he must be on his guard.
"I may have to ask for some money, however," continued Fletcher, in an off-hand manner, "for it is necessary to buy supplies for our journey.
You know we shan"t be able to put up at hotels on our way, but must furnish our own meals."
"So I have heard," answered Harry. "What is it customary to take?"
"Well, it will be best to buy a bag of coffee, a sack of flour, some ship biscuits, potatoes, and sugar. That will do to start on, and we shall vary our diet by what we are able to kill on the way."
"What can we kill?"
"Well, kangaroo meat isn"t bad, and we can bring down a few birds occasionally."
"Then we shall need guns?"
"Yes, it will be well to have them."
This was another expense upon which Harry had not calculated. He began to think that he had been very improvident. The professor would readily have left him a hundred dollars more, and as it would have been repaid with his own money, he was sorry he had not availed himself of it.
"How much do you think the supplies will cost?" asked Harry.
"Well, you had better let me have ten pounds. I think that will be sufficient."
"For the whole or for our share?" asked Harry pointedly.
"For your share," answered Fletcher after a pause. "It seems to me you are very suspicious."
Really he had intended to make the two boys pay for the whole stock of provisions and save his own purse, for he had in reality as much money as they.
"I only wanted to understand clearly," said Harry quietly. "As we are in some sort partners, that is fair, is it not?"
"Oh, yes," returned Fletcher, but he did not respond with any alacrity.
"I"m always fair and above board, I am. No man can say that d.i.c.k Fletcher ever tried to get the best of him. Why, if I was better fixed I wouldn"t let you two boys pay a cent. I"d shoulder the whole thing myself."
"Your offer is a very kind one, Mr. Fletcher----"
"Don"t say Mr. Fletcher; call me d.i.c.k," interrupted their new acquaintance.
"I will if you wish it, though as you are so much older, it hardly seems proper. What I was going to say was that Jack and myself are determined to pay our share. We couldn"t accept any such favor as you mention."
"That"s all right. Now, if you let me have the ten pounds I"ll take all the trouble off your hands, and have everything ready for a start to-morrow morning."
"I would prefer to go with you and help select the articles."
Fletcher looked disconcerted.
"Oh, well, if you think I aint capable----" he began.