“Agent?  Why, dad will be there himself by that time.  And if he isn’t, the agent is there all right, all right.  So if your pirate settles with me with a shot-gun, I’ll settle with that agent, same way.”

As soon as the meat was cured, the boys started for the coast in their canoe.  On the way they stopped at the nursery and found Baby almost glad to see them, and when Ned put half a banana in his mouth, the little manatee seemed really grateful.  Ned even thought that when he pressed the baby’s flipper good-bye, the pressure was returned, at least that is what he told Dick.  The canoeists had trouble in avoiding the grass and moss of the big bay, but two hours of paddling carried them to the coast, where a strong on-shore wind was sending long rollers up on the beach.  Dick knew where they were, and said that they had come down Broad River, and that the fisherman’s ranch was only six or seven miles up the coast.

“We can walk up the beach to it and save time.  The water is too rough for the canoe,” said Ned.

“I don’t know about that.  I’ve lived on the water some and I’ve seen curious things done with canoes.  Let’s try it.”

“Better try the waves with an empty canoe first.  Then I’ll be with you.”

The canoe was unloaded on a quiet bit of the beach which lay behind a shoal and the boys by turns got into the canoe and paddled out among the breakers.  Then they went out together and through it all the canoe rose to the waves like a duck.  Then they reloaded their canoe and started up the beach.  At times the wind was stronger and the waves bigger, but always the canoe rode them with a gait like a rocking-chair.  They paddled easily, “taking the waves on the bias,” as Dick observed, heading a little off-shore to balance the push of the wind and the waves.

The fisherman was at home, and Ned soon closed a contract with him to carry Baby Manatee to Myers at Ned’s cost and risk, payment to be made in Myers by Mr. Barstow or his agent.  The man had just got in some lumber to build a skiff.  This would serve to build the box, and the charge for it would be five dollars.  The fisherman said he would need the help of his son; that the charge for the two would be four dollars a day, and he “reckoned” it would take eight days, so the contract was closed for thirty-seven dollars.  He was ready to start right off and catch the evening tide up Broad River.

“Don’t you want to make the box first?” said Ned.

“Reckon not.  ’Druther see the manatee ’fore I spile good lumber.  Manatees is mighty scurse in this country.”

Dick flared up, and said to the fisherman: 

“Do you mean that we’ve been lying about a manatee?”

“Course not, not lyin’; manatee’s all right, only you ain’t much ust to ’em and it may be bigger’n you think, ‘nd I’d hate to make th’ box too little.”