Jackson and Darvall,
and to go home myself to make inquiries and search for your father.
Will this make your mind easy? For that is essential to your recovery
at the present time."

"You were always kind and self-sacrificing, Charlie. Assuredly, your
going will take an enormous weight off my mind, for you are much better
fitted by nature for such a search than I am--to say nothing of health.
Thank you, my dear old boy, a thousand times. As for Dick Darvall,"
added Shank, with a laugh, "before this evening I would have doubted
whether he would be willing to remain with me after your departure, but
I have no doubt now--considering what we have just witnessed!"

"Yes, he has found `metal more attractive,'" said Charlie, rising. "I
will now go and consult with him, after which I will depart without
delay."

"You've been having a gallop, to judge from your heightened colour and
flashing eyes," said Charlie to Dick when they met in the yard,
half-an-hour later.

"N-no--not exactly," returned the seaman, with a slightly embarrassed
air. "The fact is I've bin cruisin' about in the bush."

"What! lookin' for Redskins?"

"N-no; not exactly, but--"

"Oh! I see. Out huntin', I suppose. After deer--eh?"

"Well, now, that was a pretty fair guess, Charlie," said Dick, laughing.
"To tell ye the plain truth, I have been out arter a dear--full sail--
an'--"

"And you bagged it, of course. Fairly run it down, I suppose," said his
friend, again interrupting.

"Well, there ain't no `of course' about it, but as it happened, I did
manage to overhaul her, and coming to close quarters, I--"

"Yes, yes, _I_ know," interrupted Charlie a third time, with provoking
coolness. "You ran her on to the rocks, Dick--which was unseamanlike in
the extreme--at least you ran the dear aground on a fallen tree and,
sitting down beside it, asked it to become Mrs Darvall, and the amiable
creature agreed, eh?"

"Why, how on earth did 'ee come for to know _that_?" asked Dick, in
blazing astonishment.

"Well, you know, there's no great mystery about it. If a bold sailor
_will_ go huntin' close to the house, and run down his game right in
front of Mr Shank's windows, he must expect to have witnesses.
However, give me your flipper, mess-mate, and let me congratulate you,
for in my opinion there's not such another dear on all the slopes of the
Rocky Mountains. But now that I've found you, I want to lay some of my
future plans before you."