112 THE BOY CAPTAIN.

«Then you succeeded ?”

“Didn’t you say it would be impossible for me to
fail?”

«“ And I have proved a good prophet?”

« You surely have in this case, for you are in command
of the Progressive Age, as your father can tell you.”

“Yes, boy, you have succeeded,” the elder captain
said, grimly, as he seated himself at the head of the table,
“and I won’t say that you would n’t have done so even
without as able an advocate as you sent. But she truly
smoothed matters to a wonderful degree, and I believe Mr.
Short would have had an attack of apoplexy if all her
demands had not been complied with. She has completely
captured that old shellback. How is it that you are
loading ?”’

Ben explained to his father what he had done, giving all
the details of the charter, and adding in conclusion :

“T hope the arrangements which I have made will
prove satisfactory.”

« They could not fail of that, for you have succeeded in
getting an unusually good freight, and provisioned your
ship very economically ; almost too much so, perhaps, but
that is a good fault in a young captain.”

“Don’t you care to know how I got the vessel away ?”
Ben asked, disappointed because his father did not appear
at all curious on that point.

“Why bless you, boy, Mr. Short and I heard all the
details, and with a deal of colouring I can assure you, before
Miss Dunham had been aboard the Sportsman two hours.