"Is Flo your daughter?"

"Sure. An' Eb's me son. Jist the two, so I named this craft after
'em, ye see, Eb an' Flo sounds about right to my way of thinkin'. When
yer boatin' on this river ye have to be allus considerin' the ebb an'
flow of the tide, so the name is quite handy."

"It certainly is," and the girl smiled. "I am sure I shall like it.
Where is your son now?"

"Oh, he's ashore gittin' some molasses an' other stuff from the store.
He should be back soon, Miss, so I think ye'd better leave before he
comes. Thar might be trouble. He's dead set aginst strange women,
Eben is."

"Will you start as soon as your son returns?" the girl asked, unheeding
the captain's warning.

"Start! Start where?"

"Sailing, of course."

"Not until the wind springs up. Thar's a dead calm now, an' the tide's
aginst us."

"Oh, I wish it would blow a gale," and the girl looked anxiously
around. "I want to get away from this place as soon as possible."

"Well, I think the best thing then fer you to do is to go ashore an'
light out. Ye kin do it quicker thar than here."