The discussion continued on the ferry, over the thud of the great brass-plated engine, the slosh and grind of the sidewheel turning. They talked while ships passed them and they passed ships—a mackerel schooner with seabirds hovering over it as though tethered to the ship with kite strings; a stone drogher looking like a granite ledge that had detached itself from land, sprouted sails, and put to sea, for she was sunk almost to her scuppers by the giant blocks stacked on her decks. The voyage remained a dream; yet the more they talked about it, the more it felt inevitable to Nathaniel; the more he felt his inclinations turning toward the latitudes he had heard so much about, where seas broke green on coral reefs and mangrove isles wavered like mirages on the hot tidal flats. And there his compass settled, without his willing it. He had always been curious to see the waters and the places where his father and half brother had sailed and lived; lived a life so different from the one he and Eliot and Drew had known that it seemed mythical to them, a shimmering legend out of a lost time. So the Florida Keys and Tropic of Cancer it would be, despite contrary winds, adverse currents, and the threat of hurricanes. No, not despite. Because of. How much more admirable a feat of seamanship it would be to skipper Double Eagle there and back, in the face of such obstacles and hazards. His thoughts lunging ahead to the fall, he saw his father greeting him as he once greeted Lockwood when Lockwood returned from the sea, and the picture had the glory of a hope fulfilled.

He slapped the deck rail and declared his decision to Will, who said, “A man who makes up his mind in a hurry. It’s inspiring.”

“But I’d feel a lot better about it,” Nathaniel started to say, then paused. He had to put this the right way. “You’re supposed to be a pretty good navigator, aren’t you? Right handy with a sextant?”

“I have to be honest with you, Natters. I’m one of the best.”

“Why not throw in with us, then? The hell with Boston and law clerking.”

Will thought for about fifteen seconds.

“I can make up my mind, too. You’ve got a callow crew and you’ll need someone with my maturity and wisdom to keep you out of trouble.”