Going to his mother, he said: "Mother, I want above all things to go to

sea."

"Go to sea!" replied his mother in dismay. "What has put such an idea
into your head?"

"It has been in my head for a long time," answered the boy quietly. "I
have thought of nothing else for the last year."




CHAPTER III.

IN QUEST OF FORTUNE.


James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so
convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had
not occurred to him that his mother would object.

"What made you think of the sea, James?" his mother asked with a
troubled face.

"It was the books I read last year, at the black salter's. Oh, mother,
did you ever read Marryatt's novels, and 'Sinbad the Sailor'?"

"I have read 'Sinbad the Sailor,' but you know that is a fairy story, my
son."

"It may be, but Marryatt's stories are not. It must be splendid to
travel across the mighty ocean, and see foreign countries."

"A sailor doesn't have the chance to see much. You have no idea of the
hardships of his life."

"I am used to hardships, and I am not afraid of hard work. But you seem
disappointed, mother. What have you thought of for me?"

"I have hoped, James, that you might become a learned man, perhaps a
college professor. Surely that would be better than to be a common
sailor."

"But I wouldn't stay a common sailor, mother. I would be a captain some
time."

I suppose there is no doubt that, had James followed the sea, he would
have risen to the command of a ship, but the idea did not seem to dazzle
his mother.

"If you go to sea I shall lose you," said his mother. "A sailor can
spend very little time with his family. Think carefully, my son. I
believe your present fancy will be short-lived, and you will some day
wonder that you ever entertained it."

Such, however, was not the boy's idea at the time. His mother might have
reason on her side, but it takes more than reason to dissipate a boy's
passion for the sea.

"You speak of my becoming a scholar, mother," he said, "but there
doesn't seem much chance of it. I see nothing but work as a carpenter,
or on the farm."

"You don't know what God may have in store for you, my son. As you say,
there seems no way open at present for you to become a scholar; but if
you entertain the desire the way will be open. Success comes to him who
is in earnest."

"What, then, do you want me to do, mother! Do you wish me to stay at
home?"

"No, for there seems little for you to do here. Go to Cleveland, if you
like, and seek some respectable employment. If, after a time, you find
your longing for the sea unconquered, it will be time to look out for a
berth on board ship."

James, in spite of his earnest longing to go to sea, was a reasonable
boy, and he did not object to his mother's plan. The next morning he
tied his slender stock of clothing in a small bundle, bade a tearful
good-bye to his mother, whose loving glances followed him far along his
road, and with hope and enthusiasm trudged over a hard road to
Cleveland, that beautiful city, whither, nearly forty years afterward,
he was to be carried in funereal state, amid the tears of countless
thousands. In that city where his active life began, it was to finish.

A long walk was before him, for Cleveland was seventeen miles away. He
stopped to rest at intervals, and it was not until the sun had set and
darkness enveloped the town that he entered it with weary feet.

He betook himself to a cheap boarding-place whither he had been
directed, and soon retired to bed. His fatigue brought him a good
night's sleep, and he woke refreshed and cheered to look about him and
decide upon his future plans.

Cleveland does not compare in size with New York, Philadelphia, or
Boston, and thirty-five years ago it was much smaller than now. But
compared with James' native place, and the villages near him, it was an
impressive place. There were large business blocks, and handsome
churches, and paved streets, and a general city-like appearance which
interested James greatly. On the whole, even if he had to give up going
to sea, he thought he might enjoy himself in such a lively place as
this. But of course he must find employment.

So he went into a store and inquired if they wanted a boy.

"What can you do?" asked the storekeeper, looking at the boy with his
countrified air and rustic suit.

"I can read, write, and cipher," answered James.

"Indeed!" said the storekeeper smiling. "All our boys can do that. Is
that all you can do?"

James might have answered that he could chop wood, work at carpentering,
plant and harvest, but he knew very well that these accomplishments
would be but little service to him here. Indeed, he was rather puzzled
to know what he could do that would earn him a living in a smart town
life Cleveland. However, he didn't much expect to find his first
application successful, so he entered another store and preferred his
request.

"You won't suit us," was the brusque reply. "You come from the country,
don't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"You look like it. Well, I will give you a piece of advice."

"What is that, sir?"

"Go back there. You are better suited to country than the city. I
daresay you would make a very good hand on a farm. We need different
sort of boys here."

This was discouraging. James didn't know why he would not do for a city
store or office. He was strong enough, and he thought he knew enough,
for he had not at present much idea of what was taught at seminaries of
a higher grade than the district schools he had been accustomed to
attend.

"Well," he said to himself, "I've done what mother asked me to do. I've
tried to get a place here, and there doesn't seem to be a place for me.
After all, I don't know but I'd better go to Ohio."

Cleveland was not of course a sea-port, but it had considerable lake
trade, and had a line of piers.

James found his way to the wharves, and his eye lighted up as he saw the
sloops and schooners which were engaged in inland trade. He had never
seen a real ship, or those schooners and sloops would have had less
attraction for him.

In particular his attention was drawn to one schooner, not over-clean or
attractive, but with a sea-faring look, as if it had been storm-tossed
and buffeted. Half a dozen sailors were on board, but they were grimed
and dirty, and looked like habitual drinkers--probably James would not
have fancied becoming like one of these, but he gave little thought to
their appearance. He only thought how delightful it would be to have
such a floating home.

"Is the captain on board?" the boy ventured to ask.

"He's down below," growled the sailor whom he addressed.

"Will he soon come up?"

He was answered in the affirmative.

So James lingered until the man he inquired for came up.

He was a brutal-looking man, as common in appearance as any of the
sailors whom he commanded, and the boy was amazed at his bearing. Surely
that man was not his ideal of a ship-captain. He thought of him as a
sort of prince, but there was nothing princely about the miserable,
bloated wretch before him.

Still he preferred his application.

"Do you want a new hand?" asked James.

His answer was a volley of oaths and curses that made James turn pale,
for he had never uttered an oath in his life, and had never listened to
anything so disgusting as the tirade to which he was forced to listen.

[Illustration: THE CANAL BOY]

He sensibly concluded that nothing was to be gained by continuing the
conversation with such a man. He left the schooner's deck with a feeling
of discomfiture. He had never suspected that sailors talked or acted
like the men he saw.

Still he clung to the idea that all sailors were not like this captain.
Perhaps again the rebuff he received was in consequence of his rustic
appearance. The captain might be prejudiced against him, just as the
shop-keepers had been, though the latter certainly had not expressed
themselves in such rude and profane language. He might not be fit for a
sailor yet, but he could prepare himself.

He bethought himself of a cousin of his, by name Amos Letcher, who had
not indeed arrived at the exalted position of captain of a schooner, but
was content with the humbler position of captain of a canal-boat on the
Ohio and Pennsylvania Canal.

This seemed to James a lucky thought.

"I will go to Amos Letcher," he said to himself. "Perhaps he can find me
a situation on a canal-boat, and that will be the next thing to being on
board a ship."

This thought put fresh courage into the boy, and he straightway
inquired for the _Evening Star_, which was the name of the boat
commanded by his cousin.




CHAPTER IV.

ON THE TOW-PATH.


Captain Letcher regarded his young cousin in surprise.

"Well, Jimmy, what brings you to Cleveland?" he asked.

"I came here to ship on the lake," the boy answered. "I tried first to
get a place in a store, as I promised mother, but I found no opening. I
would rather be a sailor."

"I am afraid your choice is not a good one; a good place on land is much
better than going to sea. Have you tried to get a berth?"

"Yes, I applied to the captain of a schooner, but he swore at me and
called me a land-lubber."

"So you are," returned his cousin smiling "Well, what are your plans
now?"

"Can't you give me a place?"

"What, on the canal?"

"Yes cousin."

"I suppose you think that would be the next thing to going to sea?"

"It might prepare me for it."

"Well," said Captain Letcher, good-naturedly, "I will see what I can do
for you. Can you drive a pair of horses?"

"Oh, yes."

"Then I will engage you. The pay is not very large, but you will live on
the boat."

"How much do you pay?" asked James, who was naturally interested in the
answer to this question.

"We pay from eight to ten dollars a month, according to length of
service and fidelity. Of course, as a new hand, you can not expect ten
dollars."

"I shall be satisfied with eight, cousin."

"Now, as to your duties. You will work six hours on and six hours off.
That's what we call a trick--the six hours on, I mean. So you will have
every other six hours to rest, or do anything you like; that is, after
you have attended to the horses."

"Horses!" repeated James, puzzled; for the animals attached to the boat
at that moment were mules.

"Some of our horses are mules," said Captain Letcher, smiling.
"However, it makes no difference. You will have to feed and rub them
down, and then you can lie down in your bunk, or do anything else you
like."

"That won't be very hard work," said James, cheerfully.

"Oh, I forgot to say that you can ride or walk, as you choose. You can
rest yourself by changing from one to the other."

James thought he should like to ride on horseback, as most boys do. It
was not, however, so good fun as he anticipated. A canal-boat horse is
by no means a fiery or spirited creature. His usual gait is from two to
two and a half miles an hour, and to a boy of quick, active temperament
the slowness must be rather exasperating. Yet, in the course of a day a
boat went a considerable distance. It usually made fifty, and sometimes
sixty miles a day. The rate depended on the number of locks it had to
pass through.

Probably most of my young readers understand the nature of a lock. As
all water seeks a level, there would be danger in an uneven country that
some parts of the canal would be left entirely dry, and in others the
water would overflow. For this reason at intervals locks are
constructed, composed of brief sections of the canal barricaded at each
end by gates. When a boat is going down, the near gates are thrown open
and the boat enters the lock, the water rushing in till a level is
secured; then the upper gates are closed, fastening the boat in the
lock. Next the lower gates are opened, the water in the lock seeks the
lower level of the other section of the canal, and the boat moves out of
the lock, the water subsiding gradually beneath it. Next, the lower
gates are closed, and the boat proceeds on its way. It will easily be
understood, when the case is reversed, and the boat is going up, how
after being admitted into the lock it will be lifted up to the higher
level when the upper gates are thrown open.

If any of my young readers find it difficult to understand my
explanation, I advise them to read Jacob Abbot's excellent book, "Rollo
on the Erie Canal," where the whole matter is lucidly explained.

Railroads were not at that time as common as now, and the canal was of
much more importance and value as a means of conveying freight.
Sometimes passengers traveled that way, when they were in not much of a
hurry, but there were no express canal-boats, and a man who chose to
travel in that way must have abundant leisure on his hands. There is
some difference between traveling from two to two and a half miles an
hour, and between thirty and forty, as most of our railroad express
trains do.

James did not have to wait long after his engagement before he was put
on duty. With boyish pride he mounted one of the mules and led the
other. A line connected the mules with the boat, which was drawn slowly
and steadily through the water. James felt the responsibility of his
situation. It was like going to sea on a small scale, though the sea was
but a canal. At all events, he felt that he had more important work to
do than if he were employed as a boy on one of the lake schooners.

James was at this time fifteen; a strong, sturdy boy, with a mass of
auburn hair, partly covered by a loose-fitting hat. He had a bright,
intelligent face, and an earnest look that attracted general attention.
Yet, to one who saw the boy guiding the patient mule along the
tow-path, it would have seemed a most improbable prediction, that one
day the same hand would guide the ship of State, a vessel of much more
consequence than the humble canal-boat.

There was one comfort, at any rate. Though in his rustic garb he was not
well enough dressed to act as clerk in a Cleveland store, no one
complained that he was not well enough attired for a canal-boy.

It will occur to my young reader that, though the work was rather
monotonous, there was not much difficulty or danger connected with it.
But even the guidance of a canal-boat has its perplexities, and James
was not long in his new position before he realized it.

It often happened that a canal-boat going up encountered another going
down, and _vice versa_. Then care has to be exercised by the respective
drivers lest their lines get entangled.

All had been going on smoothly till James saw another boat coming. It
might have been his inexperience, or it might have been the carelessness
of the other driver, but at any rate the lines got entangled. Meanwhile
the boat, under the impetus that had been given it, kept on its way
until it was even with the horses, and seemed likely to tow them along.

"Whip up your team, Jim, or your line will ketch on the bridge!" called
out the steersman.

The bridge was built over a waste-way which occurred just ahead, and it
was necessary for James to drive over it.

The caution was heeded, but too late. James whipped up his mules, but
when he had reached the middle of the bridge the rope tightened, and
before the young driver fairly understood what awaited him, he and his
team were jerked into the canal. Of course he was thrown off the animal
he was riding, and found himself struggling in the water side by side
with the astonished mules. The situation was a ludicrous one, but it was
also attended with some danger. Even if he did not drown, and the canal
was probably deep enough for that, he stood in some danger of being
kicked by the terrified mules.

The boy, however, preserved his presence of mind, and managed, with
help, to get out himself and to get his team out.

Then Captain Letcher asked him, jocosely, "What were you doing in the
canal, Jim?"

"I was just taking my morning bath," answered the boy, in the same
vein.

"You'll do," said the captain, struck by the boy's coolness.

Six hours passed, and James' "trick" was over. He and his mules were
both relieved from duty. Both were allowed to come on board the boat and
rest for a like period, while the other driver took his place on the
tow-path.

"Well, Jim, how do you like it as far as you've got?" asked the captain.

"I like it," answered the boy.

"Shall you be ready to take another bath to-morrow morning?" asked his
cousin, slyly.

"I think one bath a week will be sufficient," was the answer.

Feeling a natural interest in his young cousin, Amos Letcher thought he
would examine him a little, to see how far his education had advanced.
Respecting his own ability as an examiner he had little doubt, for he
had filled the proud position of teacher in Steuben County, Indiana, for
three successive winters.

"I suppose you have been to school more or less, Jim?" he said.

"Oh, yes," answered the boy.

"What have you studied?"

James enumerated the ordinary school branches. They were not many, for
his acquirements were not extensive; but he had worked well, and was
pretty well grounded as far as he had gone.




CHAPTER V.

AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION.


"I've taught school myself," said Captain Letcher, complacently. "I
taught for three winters in Indiana."

James, who, even then, had a high opinion of learning, regarded the
canal-boat captain with increased respect.

"I didn't know that," he answered, duly impressed.

"Yes, I've had experience as a teacher. Now, if you don't mind, I'll ask
you a few questions, and find out how much you know. We've got plenty of
time, for it's a long way to Pancake Lock."

[Illustration: CONFERENCE WITH DR. ROBINSON]

"Don't ask me too hard questions," said the boy. "I'll answer the best I
know."

Upon this Captain Letcher, taking a little time to think, began to
question his young cousin in the different branches he had enumerated.
The questions were not very hard, for the good captain, though he had
taught school in Indiana, was not a profound scholar.

James answered every question promptly and accurately, to the increasing
surprise of his employer.

The latter paused.

"Haven't you any more questions?" asked James.

"No, I don't think of any."

"Then may I ask you some?"

"Yes, if you want to," answered the captain, rather surprised.

"Very well," said James. "A man went to a shoemaker and bought a pair of
boots, for which he was to pay five dollars. He offered a fifty-dollar
bill, which the shoemaker sent out and had changed. He paid his customer
forty-five dollars in change, and the latter walked off with the boots.
An hour later he ascertained that the bill was a counterfeit, and he was
obliged to pay back fifty dollars in good money to the man who had
changed the bill for him. Now, how much did he lose?"

"That's easy enough. He lost fifty dollars and the boots."

"I don't think that's quite right," said James, smiling.

"Of course it is. Didn't he have to pay back fifty dollars in good
money, and didn't the man walk off with the boots?"

"That's true; but he neither lost nor made by changing the bill. He
received fifty dollars in good money and paid back the same, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Whatever he lost his customer made, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Well, the man walked off with forty-five dollars and a pair of boots.
The other five dollars the shoemaker kept himself."

"That's so, Jim. I see it now, but it's rather puzzling at first. Did
you make that out yourself?"

"Yes."

"Then you've got a good head--better than I expected. Have you got any
more questions?"

"Just a few."

So the boy continued to ask questions, and the captain was more than
once obliged to confess that he could not answer. He began to form a
new opinion of his young cousin, who, though he filled the humble
position of a canal-boy, appeared to be well equipped with knowledge.

"I guess that'll do, Jim," he said after a while. "You've got ahead of
me, though I didn't expect it. A boy with such a head as you've got
ought not to be on the tow-path."

"What ought I to be doing, cousin?"

"You ought to keep school. You're better qualified than I am to-day, and
yet I taught for three winters in Indiana."

James was pleased with this tribute to his acquirements, especially from
a former schoolmaster.

"I never thought of that," he said. "I'm too young to keep school. I'm
only fifteen."

"That is rather young. You know enough; but I aint sure that you could
tackle some of the big boys that would be coming to school. You know
enough, but you need more muscle. I'll tell you what I advise. Stay with
me this summer--it won't do you any hurt, and you'll be earning
something--then go to school a term or two, and by that time you'll be
qualified to teach a district school."

"I'll think of what you say, cousin," said James, thoughtfully. "I
don't know but your advice is good."

It is not always easy to say what circumstances have most influence in
shaping the destiny of a boy, but it seems probable that the
conversation which has just been detailed, and the discovery that he was
quite equal in knowledge to a man who had been a schoolmaster, may have
put new ideas into the boy's head, destined to bear fruit later.

For the present, however, his duties as a canal-boy must be attended to,
and they were soon to be resumed.

About ten o'clock that night, when James was on duty, the boat
approached the town of Akron, where there were twenty-one locks to be
successively passed through.

The night was dark, and, though the bowman of the _Evening Star_ did not
see it, another boat had reached the same lock from the opposite
direction. Now in such cases the old rule, "first come, first served,"
properly prevailed.

The bowman had directed the gates to be thrown open, in order that the
boat might enter the lock, when a voice was heard through the darkness,
"Hold on, there! Our boat is just round the bend, ready to enter."

"We have as much right as you," said the bowman.

As he spoke he commenced turning the gate.

My young reader will understand from the description already given that
it will not do to have both lower and upper gates open at the same time.
Of course, one or the other boat must wait.

Both bowmen were determined to be first, and neither was willing to
yield. Both boats were near the lock, their head-lights shining as
bright as day, and the spirit of antagonism reached and affected the
crews of both.

Captain Letcher felt called upon to interfere lest there should be
serious trouble.

He beckoned to his bowman.

"Were you here first?" he asked.

"It is hard to tell," answered the bowman, "but I'm bound to have the
lock, anyhow."

The captain was not wholly unaffected by the spirit of antagonism which
his bowman displayed.

"All right; just as you say," he answered, and it seemed likely that
conflict was inevitable.

James Garfield had been an attentive observer, and an attentive
listener to what had been said. He had formed his own ideas of what was
right to be done.

"Look here, captain," he said, tapping Captain Letcher on the arm, "does
this lock belong to us?"

"I really suppose, according to law, it does not; but we will have it,
anyhow."

"No, we will not," replied the boy.

"And why not?" asked the captain, naturally surprised at such a speech
from his young driver.

"Because it does not belong to us."

The captain was privately of opinion that the boy was right, yet but for
his remonstrance he would have stood out against the claims of the rival
boat. He took but brief time for considerations, and announced his
decision.

"Boys," he said to his men, "Jim is right. Let them have the lock."

Of course there was no more trouble, but the bowman, and the others
connected with the _Evening Star_, were angry. It irritated them to be
obliged to give up the point, and wait humbly till the other boat had
passed through the lock.

The steersman was George Lee. When breakfast was called, he sat down by
James.

"What is the matter with you, Jim?" he asked.

"Nothing at all."

"What made you so for giving up the lock last night?"

"Because it wasn't ours. The other boat had it by right."

"Jim, you are a coward," said Lee contemptuously. "You aint fit for a