[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Hands chest high, whether to block a punch or lead one, I continued my walk
"John Daniel?"
It was Macaire.
"Macaire! We need to talk," I said.
"Aye," he answered. "Come sail with us. You can ship aboard us in any
capacity you like. Or you can come as a passenger, as a free trader."
"You speak for yourself, Macaire. Neither Macklem nor Miss Majoribanks would
allow it."
"If I speak for you, they'll take you. Will y'come, lad?"
"I cannot. Your Miss Majoribanks thinks I am common stuff and dislikes me
into the bargain. As for Macklem, he's a very dangerous man. We'd kill each
other within the week."
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"Ah, you don't know him, lad. He's a canny one. He's a way about him, smooth
as a French tailor, and he'd say naught against you. In fact, and this will
surprise you, lad, he suggested it."
"Macklem?"
"Aye. Your name was up. I don't know if it was Tabitha who mentioned it, or
whether 'twas Macklem himself, but your name was up. She said you'd been
companions all the way down, and he come out with it, quick and easy. 'Have
him aboard,' he says, 'in any capacity he wishes.' The words I speak were his
own."
I considered that. Now why should he have me aboard? Obviously, to be
watched, and then done away with when the chance presented itself.
"No," I said. "I will not come, Macaire. You're a good man, and I would stand
beside you in this trouble, for there's trouble a-coming, whether she believes
it or not."
We were walking alone on the street. "She kens the lot," said Macaire. "She
knows better the trouble than any of us. You know too little of the lass, John
Daniel. She knows what's ahead, and well she knows it."
"Lad, her father was a canny man. He had those who knew writing to him from
all about. The lass knows more than the both of us."
I could only stare at him. "You cannot mean that."
"Aye. Mean it I do. And well I mean it. Do not underrate her, lad. She's got
a canny head on her pretty shoulders, a canny head. She's like her pa ... only
more, lad, more."
We walked the rest of the way in silence. At the tavern door, I said, "Come
for a dram."
"No. I should be at her side."
He left me then, and I walked inside and went aloft to my room. When I
lighted the candle, Butlin was there, resting easy in my chair.
"How did it go, then?" he asked.
"Well enough." And then I told him of the chance to build the steamboat
"From John Dill himself, is it? Aye, he's a knowing man. You'll find no
better anywhere about. He's been up the Mississippi, and he's sailed on the
lakes."
"Aye?"
"He helped to build theAccommodation some ten years back, at Montreal. He
worked on theSwiftsure and tried to buy a piece of theWalk-in-the-Water before
building began. He knows boats, and he believes in steam."
The names were familiar to me. All were Great Lakes steamers, and there'd
been a time when I thought of going down to Sackett's Harbor to work on the
American steamerOntario.
"Well," he said at last, "you have what you wanted. It is surely your chance,
and with a good man, a solid man. If you do this one well you'll have a
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
future, lad, for he has the name of seeking out good men and keeping them by
him." Then I told him about Macaire and what he had said of Miss Majoribanks.
He did not seem surprised. I said as much.
"Talon," he said, "I have known of Miss Majoribanks for more than two years,
and Macaire is right. There's no shrewder person in the country than her."
"But she's just a girl!"
He chuckled. "Oh, sure! That's all she is, a girl. But she has a head on her
shoulders that is older and wiser than many a man twice her age. You forget
she grew up at her father's knee, helping with the business, often making
decisions, handling the writing. Believe me, her pen is known to a hundred men
west of here, and they'd die for her.
"You can tell her little about Torville that she does not already know."
Peeling off my shirt, I bathed in the basin, dumped the water out of the
window, and filled the basin again from the white pitcher. It was cold, but it
felt good on my arms and chest When I had dried off, I put on a fresh shirt.
Butlin had been watching me, and when I had the shirt on, he shook his head.
"You're strong," he said. "I have seen some mighty men in my time, but never
one with muscles like you have."
I shrugged. "My family runs to muscle. And when a man lifts heavy timbers
morning until night, he'll become strong or he'll not last."
I looked around at him and said: "Did you ever lift a twelve-by-twelve that's
ten feet long and green timber? You'll not find too many who can do it once,
but I've lifted them, balanced them, carried them, and fitted them in place.
Not once but a dozen to twenty in a fair day's work, along with smaller
stuff." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl aikidobyd.xlx.pl
Hands chest high, whether to block a punch or lead one, I continued my walk
"John Daniel?"
It was Macaire.
"Macaire! We need to talk," I said.
"Aye," he answered. "Come sail with us. You can ship aboard us in any
capacity you like. Or you can come as a passenger, as a free trader."
"You speak for yourself, Macaire. Neither Macklem nor Miss Majoribanks would
allow it."
"If I speak for you, they'll take you. Will y'come, lad?"
"I cannot. Your Miss Majoribanks thinks I am common stuff and dislikes me
into the bargain. As for Macklem, he's a very dangerous man. We'd kill each
other within the week."
Page 54
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Ah, you don't know him, lad. He's a canny one. He's a way about him, smooth
as a French tailor, and he'd say naught against you. In fact, and this will
surprise you, lad, he suggested it."
"Macklem?"
"Aye. Your name was up. I don't know if it was Tabitha who mentioned it, or
whether 'twas Macklem himself, but your name was up. She said you'd been
companions all the way down, and he come out with it, quick and easy. 'Have
him aboard,' he says, 'in any capacity he wishes.' The words I speak were his
own."
I considered that. Now why should he have me aboard? Obviously, to be
watched, and then done away with when the chance presented itself.
"No," I said. "I will not come, Macaire. You're a good man, and I would stand
beside you in this trouble, for there's trouble a-coming, whether she believes
it or not."
We were walking alone on the street. "She kens the lot," said Macaire. "She
knows better the trouble than any of us. You know too little of the lass, John
Daniel. She knows what's ahead, and well she knows it."
"Lad, her father was a canny man. He had those who knew writing to him from
all about. The lass knows more than the both of us."
I could only stare at him. "You cannot mean that."
"Aye. Mean it I do. And well I mean it. Do not underrate her, lad. She's got
a canny head on her pretty shoulders, a canny head. She's like her pa ... only
more, lad, more."
We walked the rest of the way in silence. At the tavern door, I said, "Come
for a dram."
"No. I should be at her side."
He left me then, and I walked inside and went aloft to my room. When I
lighted the candle, Butlin was there, resting easy in my chair.
"How did it go, then?" he asked.
"Well enough." And then I told him of the chance to build the steamboat
"From John Dill himself, is it? Aye, he's a knowing man. You'll find no
better anywhere about. He's been up the Mississippi, and he's sailed on the
lakes."
"Aye?"
"He helped to build theAccommodation some ten years back, at Montreal. He
worked on theSwiftsure and tried to buy a piece of theWalk-in-the-Water before
building began. He knows boats, and he believes in steam."
The names were familiar to me. All were Great Lakes steamers, and there'd
been a time when I thought of going down to Sackett's Harbor to work on the
American steamerOntario.
"Well," he said at last, "you have what you wanted. It is surely your chance,
and with a good man, a solid man. If you do this one well you'll have a
Page 55
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
future, lad, for he has the name of seeking out good men and keeping them by
him." Then I told him about Macaire and what he had said of Miss Majoribanks.
He did not seem surprised. I said as much.
"Talon," he said, "I have known of Miss Majoribanks for more than two years,
and Macaire is right. There's no shrewder person in the country than her."
"But she's just a girl!"
He chuckled. "Oh, sure! That's all she is, a girl. But she has a head on her
shoulders that is older and wiser than many a man twice her age. You forget
she grew up at her father's knee, helping with the business, often making
decisions, handling the writing. Believe me, her pen is known to a hundred men
west of here, and they'd die for her.
"You can tell her little about Torville that she does not already know."
Peeling off my shirt, I bathed in the basin, dumped the water out of the
window, and filled the basin again from the white pitcher. It was cold, but it
felt good on my arms and chest When I had dried off, I put on a fresh shirt.
Butlin had been watching me, and when I had the shirt on, he shook his head.
"You're strong," he said. "I have seen some mighty men in my time, but never
one with muscles like you have."
I shrugged. "My family runs to muscle. And when a man lifts heavy timbers
morning until night, he'll become strong or he'll not last."
I looked around at him and said: "Did you ever lift a twelve-by-twelve that's
ten feet long and green timber? You'll not find too many who can do it once,
but I've lifted them, balanced them, carried them, and fitted them in place.
Not once but a dozen to twenty in a fair day's work, along with smaller
stuff." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]