"A little," I said, "between whiles; but latterly not much."
"The more shame to you," said he, "for it is a good book. But you
ought to have heard of Noah, if you ever read the Book at all, for he
comes almost at the beginning. Well, I've a notion almost as good as
Noah's and not so very different. We will take the _Mary Pynsent_
and put all the family on board, for we must take A. G. (naming the
Englishman, his other son-in-law), and I don't like to leave the
women alone, here in this wicked place. We will pack her up with
slaves and sail her across to Barbadoes. 'Tis an undertaking for a
man of my years, but a man is not old until he feels old; and I have
been wanting for a long time to see if trade in the Barbadoes is so
bad as the skippers pretend, cutting down my profits. At Barbadoes
we can hire a pinnace. Daniel Coffin, you and me will go into this
business in partnership," says he.
The old fellow, once set going, had the pluck of a boy. The very
next night he called in A. G., and took him into the secret, in his
bluff way overriding me, that was for keeping it close between us
two. That the map was mine did not trouble him. He agreed that I
should be guardian of it, but took charge of all the outfit, ordering
me about sometimes like a dog, though, properly speaking, the vessel
herself belonged to me--or, at any rate, more to me than to him.
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