THE VOYAGE OF THE HOPPERGRASS





CHAPTER I

THE BEGINNING OF THE VOYAGE


It was a lucky thing that the "Hoppergrass" was a large boat. When
we started there were only four of us,--counting Captain
Bannister. But we kept picking up passengers--unexpected ones--
until the Captain said "we'd have the whole County on board." It
was not as bad as that, but we were glad before we came home
again, that we had a comfortable cabin, with plenty of sleeping
room.

She was a big, white cat-boat, with her name in gilt letters on
the stern. On the day when our voyage began she lay quietly at
anchor, well out toward the middle of the river. It was still
early,--shortly after five of a morning in July. The river was
quiet, with only one or two boats moving,--as quiet as the streets
of the town through which we had walked on our way to the wharf.