Had to dance attendance at court
thar and lost our trip." He stopped and looked half-pathetically at the
prostrate Elijah. "Look yer! ye ain't just dyin' to go ashore NOW and
see yer friends and send messages, are ye?"
Elijah shuddered inwardly, but outwardly smiled faintly as he replied,
"No!"
"And the tide and wind jest servin' us now, ye wouldn't mind keepin'
straight on with us this trip?"
"Where to?" asked Elijah.
"Santy Barbara."
"No," said Elijah, after a moment's pause. "I'll go with you."
The man leaped to his feet, lifted his head above the upper deck,
shouted "Let her go free, Jerry!" and then turned gratefully to his
passenger. "Look yer! A wash-out is a wash-out, I reckon, put it any
way you like; it don't put anything back into the land, or anything back
into your pocket afterwards, eh? No! And yer well out of it, pardner!
Now there's a right smart chance for locatin' jest back of Santy
Barbara, where thar ain't no God-forsaken tules to overflow; and ez far
ez the land and licker lies ye 'needn't take any water in yours' ef ye
don't want it. You kin start fresh thar, pardner, and brail up. What's
the matter with you, old man, is only fever 'n' agur ketched in them
tules! I kin see it in your eyes. Now you hold on whar you be till I go
forrard and see everything taut, and then I'll come back and we'll have
a talk."
And they did.
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