while lawry was ferrying the team over the lake, ethan occupied himself in making a long-handled boat-hook, which might be useful in the operation of raising the steamer. while he was thus engaged, a young man, about eighteen years of age, coarsely dressed, and with a very red face, came down the road and stopped at the place where he was at work.

"what you making?" asked the young man.

"a boat-hook," replied ethan.

"do you belong here?" continued the stranger nodding his head toward the ferry-house.

"no; i'm only helping lawry wilford for a few days."

"the old man's got into hot water, they say."

"yes."

"well, he was always preaching to me about doing the right thing; and now he's fallen off the horse-block himself," added the young man, with a slight chuckle.

"it's bad for mr. wilford and his family."

"that's so. where's lawry now?"

"he has gone over with the ferry-boat."

"i reckon lawry has to run the machine now."

"he has to run the ferry-boat."

"well, he knows how. lawry's smart—he is. i suppose you don't know me."

"i do not."

"i'm lawry's brother; and that makes it that lawry is my brother."

"then you are benjamin wilford?"

"that's my name; but ben wilford sounds a good deal more natural to me. i heard the old man had got into trouble, and i came up to see about it, though i'm out of a job just now, and couldn't do anything better. i hear that lawry owns a steamboat, and i didn't know but he'd want some help. where is she?"

"she's on the bottom, out there by the goblins," answered ethan, pointing to the raft. "we are at work raising her."

"can you get her up, do you think?"

"yes; i have no doubt we shall have her at the top of the water by to-morrow night."

"i've come just in time, then," added the young man. "i think i know something about a steamboat."

ethan did not like the looks of lawry's brother. his bloated face was against him, and the young engineer, without knowing anything more about him than his swaggering manner and red face revealed, wished he had stayed away a few days longer.

"i'll go in and see the old woman, and get some breakfast; then i'll go up with you and see what you are doing," said ben wilford.

"we are going up as soon as lawry comes back," answered ethan, pointing to the ferry-boat.

the dissolute young man, who had just been discharged from his situation as a deck-hand on one of the steamers, for intemperance and neglect of duty, sauntered into the house; and the fresh breeze soon brought the impatient lawry to the shore.

"lawry, we have got some help," said ethan.

"who?"

"your brother has just come."

"ben?" asked the young lad, a troubled expression gathering on his face.

"yes; he has gone into the house to get his breakfast."

"i'll go in and see him," added lawry, who did not seem to be at all pleased with the news of his brother's arrival.

it is a sad thing for a brother to behave so badly that he cannot be welcome at his own home.

mrs. wilford shook hands with benjamin as he entered. she was glad to see him, and her mother's heart went out toward him; but she was filled with doubts and fears. the young man only laughed while his mother wept at the story of the father's crime. he sat down to his breakfast, and declared that he had come home to take care of the family.

"i hope you are able to take care of yourself, benjamin," replied his mother, as she glanced at his bloated face.

"i always did that, mother. the old man and i couldn't agree very well, but i reckon you and i can get along together. lawry, how are you?" continued the returned wanderer, as his brother entered the room.

"very well; how are you, ben?" answered lawry, as he shook hands with his brother.

"first-rate. how about the steamboat, lawry?"

"she's all right; or, she will be, when we get her up."

"do you think you can raise her?"

"i know we can."

"well, i heard all about her up in the village, and i have come home to help you. i know all about steamboats, you know."

"what did you leave your place for?"

"the captain and i couldn't agree. i'm going to run an opposition line."

"are you?"

"i am; bet your life i am."

"where will you get your boats?"

"don't want but one; and they say your boat is the finest little craft that ever floated on the lake."

"she is, without a doubt."

"well, we can take some money out of the captain's pocket, at any rate. we'll make a fortune out of your boat, lawry, if we get her up."

"i shall get her up by tomorrow night."

"i'll help you, lawry."

"we don't need any help at present. i must go now, for ethan is waiting for me."

"who's ethan?"

"ethan french; he is the engineer of the steamer," answered the young pilot, moving toward the door.

"hold on a minute, lawry, and i'll be ready to go with you. i can show you how to do the business."

"i know now."

"you're smart, lawry; but you're not so old as i am."

"i'm old enough to do this job."

"you haven't seen so much of steamboats as i have."

"now, benjamin, you mustn't interfere with lawry's work," interposed

mrs. wilford. "he knows what he is about."

"i'm not going to interfere with him; i'm only going to help him."

"if you really want to help me, i'll tell you what you can do," said

lawry.

"what's that?"

"you can run the ferry."

"run the ferry!" exclaimed ben. "why, i know more about steamboats than you and your engineer put together. do you suppose i'm going to run a ferry-boat when there's a job of this sort on hand?"

"you can help more in this way than in any other," persisted lawry.

"run a ferry-boat!" sneered ben; "that isn't my style."

"we don't need any help on the steamer."

"yes, you do. at any rate, i'll go down and see what you are about."

"what's that rock for?" he demanded, pointing to the sinker which lay on the skids.

"to sink the casks with," replied ethan; and he explained the process by which the hogsheads were attached to the hull of the woodville.

"well, lawry, if you had been studying seven years to get up the stupidest thing that could be thought of, you could not have got up a more ridiculous idea than this," said ben, laughing contemptuously.

"how would you raise her?" asked lawry quietly.

"well, i wouldn't do it in this way, i can tell you. if you want me to take this job in hand for you, i'll do it. you might as well try to raise the goblins as the steamer in this way."

"it is very easy to condemn the method," added ethan indignantly; "but it isn't so easy to find a better one."

"you say you don't want any help from me," said ben.

"if you can tell me any better way, i should like to hear it," replied lawry.

"if you want me to raise your steamer, say the word."

"let me know how you intend to do it, first," persisted lawry. "it's easier to talk than it is to do."

"you're smart, lawry; but you can't raise that steamer with those casks in seven years."

"i'll have her on the top of the water by to-morrow night," said the young pilot.

"no, you won't."

"you see! but we must go to work, ethan."

"that's just my idea," said the engineer.

"then you don't want me to do the job?" added ben.

"no, i think not," replied lawry, rather coldly.

"i think my way is the best."

"perhaps it is; but i don't know what your way is."

"i'll tell you, lawry, for i don't like to have you waste your time and strength doing nothing; besides, we want the steamer as soon as we can get her, or the season will be over."

"what do you mean by we, ben?" asked lawry quietly.

"why, you and me, of course. i know something about steamers, and perhaps i should be willing to go captain of your boat, if you ever get her into working order."

"perhaps you would," answered lawry.

"of course you mean to use the boat for the benefit of the family, now the old man is jugged and can't do anything more for them."

"to be sure i do."

"i'm willing to do my part. you can be the pilot, and the other fellow can be the engineer."

"and we can both of us have the privilege of obeying your orders," laughed lawry.

"well, i shouldn't be likely to interfere with you; your place would be in the wheel-house."

"and yours in the cabin, captain wilford. i can't stop to talk about this now. there comes ethan with the cask."

"you might as well stop this foolish work first as last," sneered the would-be captain of the woodville. "i was going to tell you how to raise her."

"go on; we'll hear you, and work at the same time," said ethan.

"i should get two of those canal-boats, having about eight feet depth of hold," continued ben.

"where would you get them?" demanded lawry.

"get them? hire them, of course. you can get plenty of them at port

henry."

"have you any money in your pocket?"

"they wouldn't cost more than a hundred dollars."

"i haven't got even fifty dollars," said lawry.

"they would trust you on the security of your steamer."

"i don't want to be trusted for any such purpose. what would you do with your canal-boats when you had got them?" asked lawry.

"i would moor one on each side of the steamer, put a couple of timbers across them, pass a chain under the bow and stern of the sunken hull, and make fast to the timbers. then i would let the water into the canal-boats, and sink them down to the rails. when i got them down as deep as i could, i would tighten the chains, till they bore taut on the timbers. do you understand it, lawry?"

"certainly; i know all about the plan," replied the young pilot, with a smile.

"i don't believe you do," said ben incredulously. "what would you do next?"

"pump the water out of the two canal-boats, which would take about two days' time."

"you could rig extra pumps."

"three of us, with three pumps, couldn't pump them out in two days."

"well, the job is done when you have pumped them out."

"when you get the water out of the boats, you will have raised the steamer but three or four feet at most."

"six feet, at least, for the canal-boats will come up where they were before."

"no; they won't; the weight of the steamer will press them down two or three feet."

an excited discussion followed upon this question; but lawry and ethan carried their point. it was plain that the buoyant powers of the two boats, as the water was pumped but of them, would raise the steamer three or four feet, leaving her suspended half-way between the surface and the bottom of the lake. lawry wanted the aspirant for the captaincy of the woodville to tell him what he would do next, for she could not be repaired while she was under water; but ben was "nonplussed" and unable to answer.

"i can finish that job for you," said lawry.

"she could be moored on the ways, and then hauled up."

"perhaps she might, but i should rather put her on the ways from the top of the water. when i got her three feet from the bottom, i should move her toward the shore till she grounded."

"what then?" asked ben.

"i should sink the canal-boats again, pump them out once more, and thus raise her three feet more; but it would take about three days every time we lifted her three feet. ben, i think we could get her to the top of the water in about a fortnight by your plan. by mine, i shall have her up by to-morrow night."

"i'll bet you won't; or in a month, either. you know too much,

lawry," said ben.

"i don't bet; but you shall see her at the ferry-landing by seven to-morrow evening if you are there."

the older brother, finding himself only a cipher on the raft, had consented to run the ferry in the afternoon, when the horn sounded; and the pilot and engineer were thus enabled to continue their labor without interruption.