30 THE BOY CAPTAIN.

certain, sir, you must have been as eager, when you were
young, to rise from the forecastle to the cabin as I am,
and, possibly, would have been as willing to risk giving
slight offence to your superior officer for the sake of
accomplishing your purpose.”

Ben delivered this little speech respectfully, but yet
very earnestly, and even had there been no kinship
between them, there was so much truth in the words that
the captain could not fail to receive them in the same
spirit in which they were intended.