By this time the old negro was alongside, and took out a cob-pipe, filled it, struck a light, and settled himself for a good talk, first telling Lee that he was going fishing, at which he made his living.

Before he could begin talking again, Lee asked him in what direction he ought to go to reach Plymouth.

“Why, honey, I’se a-goin’ right dat way.  My place for fishin’ lays right in dat direction.  You come along o’ me.”

And with that the old fellow made fast his canoe to the schooner’s boat, and got in with Lee, taking one of the oars, so that they gave way together.

After pulling for some time, the old man sounded.

“Now here I is,” he then said, “in my place for fishin’.  Now you see de sun is scoffin’ de fog, don’t you?  Well, you jus’ keep de sun right in your eyes, an’ pull away, an’ in less dan two hours you’ll be in Plymouth, for de tide is fa’r for you.  I wish you well, honey!  I done run away onst myself, but I believe I tole you about dat.  Take some o’ dis corn pone, and a piece o’ dis cold bacon; you must want sumfin’ in your stumic.  So-long!”

“Can’t you give me a drink of water?” said Lee.  “I want that more than anything to eat.”

“Yes, ’deed I kin!”

And then the old fellow rummaged in his canoe and brought out a black jug, stoppered with a corn-cob, pulled the latter out, wiped the mouth of the jug with his sleeve, and presented it to Lee, who took a good drink, thanked his black friend, and then settled down at the oars for a long pull.

Belts of fog and mist continued to lie upon the water, and after a time, and having taken several breathing spells, he was shut in by one of them, when he began to hear, carried over the water from a distance, the creaking of blocks and tinkling of iron, and the cries of drivers shouting at mules or horses, and other noises of a seaport.

Then the fog suddenly lifted, and he saw, quite a distance above him, the wharves and some houses and vessels, mostly big, three-masted schooners, loading lumber and tar and turpentine, just as he had been told by old Jake.

Then, for the first time, it occurred to Lee that if he appeared there alone, in possession of a ship’s boat, he might be looked upon with suspicion and might have hard work to explain how he came there, and even might be held until he could clear the matter up.

So, rather than be suspected and detained, he determined to make his appearance by land, instead of by water, and ran the boat on shore, some way below the town.

Jumping out, he was about to give her a shove out into the stream, when he reflected that the tide was still flood and an empty boat would be sure to be seen and secured and his sudden appearance connected with her in some way; so he hauled her under a clump of bushes, made her well fast and walked up a marshy cattle-path toward the town.

In about twenty minutes he came out close to a wharf, where the work of the day was in full blast.  A large schooner lay there, with “Traveler, of Boston,” on her broad stern.  She was taking, as a deck-load, some large, squared timbers, and just then had a big one hung by chains from a patent crane, which stood upon the dock.