"On board the ferry-boat!" replied the man, resting on his oars.
"Five dollars if you will put me on board of that steamer before she
gets off!" added the officer.
"I'm the one for your money," returned the oarsman, as he headed his
boat into the slip.
Without much difficulty Christy dropped his valise into the boat, and
then dropped himself in after it. The belated passenger cast an earnest
look at the Vernon, which had just begun to move, though at a snail's
pace, and he hoped he should be able to get on board of her.
"Naval officer, sir?" interrogated the boatman.
"Yes; but I have no time to spare, and you must not stop to talk,"
replied Christy rather sharply.
"Time enough, sir, if you are going on board of the Vernon, and I will
give you one of my oars if I don't put you on her deck," said the
boatman very positively. "I hope you are nimble with your feet and
hands, sir."
"I will take care of that part of the matter if you will put me
alongside the steamer," answered Christy. "No more talk, if you please,
for you are wasting your wind."
"I have plenty of it for this job. You said five dollars, I believe,
sir," added the man, looking earnestly at his passenger.
"Five dollars is just what I said," replied the lieutenant, as he took
a bill of that denomination from his porte-monnaie, rolled it around the
boat-hook, and fixed it so that it should not blow away.
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