The Treasure of the Incas | Page 7

he
would only have lost a couple of years, and, as the boy himself had said,
the time would not have been altogether wasted. Bertie was down
before him in the morning. He looked anxiously at his brother as he
came in.
"Well, Harry?"
"Well, I have thought it over in every light. But in the first place, Bertie,
if you go with me you will have to remember that I am your
commanding officer. I am ten years older than you, and besides I am a
lieutenant in the King's Navy, while you are only a midshipman in the
merchant service. Now, I shall expect as ready obedience from you as
if I were captain of my own ship and you one of my men; that is
absolutely essential."
"Of course, Harry, it could not be otherwise."
"Very well, then; in the next place I shall abide by what Mr. Barnett
says. He is your guardian as well as trustee, and has a perfect right to
put a veto upon any wild expedition of this sort. Lastly, I should hope,
although I don't say that this is absolutely necessary, that you may get
your employer's promise to take you back again in order that you may
complete your time."
"Thank you very much, Harry!" the lad said gratefully. "The first
condition you may rely upon being performed, and I think the third will
be all right, for I know that I have always been favourably reported
upon. Old Prosser told me so himself when he said that I should have a

rise in my pay this voyage. As to Mr. Barnett, of course I can't say, but
I should think, as it was he who put you up to this, he must see that it
would be good for you to have someone to take care of you."
"I think he is much more likely to say that I shall have quite enough to
do to take care of myself, without having the bother of looking after
you. However, I will go and see him this morning. You had better call
upon your employers."
"Don't you think I had better go to Mr. Barnett with you, Harry?"
"Not as you are now anyhow, Bertie. Your appearance is positively
disgraceful. You evidently had on your worst suit of clothes when you
were wrecked, and I can see that they have not been improved by the
experience. Why, there is a split right down one sleeve, and a big rent
in your trousers!"
"I got them climbing on board, for I had no time to pick and choose,
with the Stella sinking under my feet."
"Well, you may as well go as you are, but you had better borrow a
needle and thread from the landlady and mend up the holes. You really
cannot walk through the city in that state. I will see about getting you
some more clothes when we get back, for I cannot have you coming
here in these in broad daylight. Here are three guineas; get yourself a
suit of pilot cloth at some outfitter's at the East End. It will be useful to
you anyhow, whether you go with me or ship again here."
"There is a good deal in what you say, Harry," Mr. Barnett said when
Prendergast asked his opinion as to his taking his brother with him.
"Two years would not make any material difference in his career as a
sailor; it simply means that he will be so much older when he passes as
mate. There is no harm in that. Two or three and twenty is quite young
enough for a young fellow to become an officer, and I don't think that
many captains care about having lads who have just got their certificate.
They have not the same sense of responsibility or the same power of
managing. Then, too, Bertie will certainly have a good deal of
knocking about if he spends a couple of years in South America, and

the knowledge he will gain of Spanish will add to his value with any
firm trading on that coast. As far as you are concerned, I think it would
be a great advantage to have him with you. In a long expedition, such
as you propose, it is a gain to have a companion with you. It makes the
work more pleasant, and two men can laugh over hardships and
disagreeables that one alone would grumble at; but apart from this, it is
very important in case of illness.
"A lonely man laid up with fever, or accidental injury, fares badly
indeed if he is at a distance from any town where he can obtain medical
attendance, and surrounded only by ignorant natives. I was myself at
one time down with