t you?"

"Certainly," said Sir Humphrey, "and I seem to have found her."

"You have, sir, and no mistake, accidentally, spontaneous-like, as you
might say. Do you know, I planned the rigging-out of that boat so that
she might go up big rivers in South America?"

"Indeed?" said Sir Humphrey, looking at the speaker curiously.

"Ah, you think I'm blowing, sir, as the Yankees call it--bragging."

"I have no right to doubt your word, captain," said Sir Humphrey
stiffly.

"Thankye, sir," said the captain; "but you do," he added sharply,
turning upon Brace.

"That I don't," said the latter quietly. "I don't know much about you,
captain, but you look too much of the straightforward Englishman to
boast."

The captain's eyes closed quite up now--well, not quite, for a sharp
flash came from out of the narrow slits as their owner chuckled softly
and clapped his young passenger heartily upon the shoulder.

"And thank you, youngster," he cried. "You and me's going to be good
friends, I see. No, my lad, there's no brag in my make. I've got
plenty of faults, including a bad temper; but sham was left out when I
was made. But about the `Jason': I did contrive her for river work."

"So much the better," said Sir Humphrey. "She draws little water, I
suppose?"

"Bit too much, sir; but I didn't mean that. I was alluding to her rig."

"Indeed!" said Sir Humphrey.

"Why, you ought to have had her schooner-rigged," said Brace sharply.

"Nay, I oughtn't," said the Skipper, screwing up his features more
tightly. "Schooner wouldn't do so well for these river waters. A
brig's best."

"Why?" said Sir Humphrey.

"Square sails up aloft come in handiest. I've seen the Hightalians who
do the fruit trade up the big rivers that run north from the Plate--La
Plata, you call it. They sail up for months to go and buy oranges to
bring down for Europe and the States. They use brigs with spars so long
you'd think they'd topple their boats over. Do you know why?"

Brace shook his head.

"Then I'll tell you, my lad. They sail up and up, and the banks close
in till at last they're going up what looks like a great canal with the
forest trees right down to the water's edge, shutting them quite in."

"That is just the sort of place we want to sail up, eh, Free?" said
Brace.

"Exactly," replied his brother.

"Plenty of 'em up where you're going," said the skipper, "and you'll be
able to sit on deck and fish and shoot without go