Chapter VIII.
The New Partnership.
The winter that seemed so distant to William Blake, when the bargain was closed and he and Matthew Watson were the vessel's owners, had set in earlier than usual. The river was filled with floating ice, and it was no longer safe to trust so small a boat as the "Fish-hawk" to the huge masses that, borne by the currents, would soon wear away her sides if exposed to them. The boat must be put in winter quarters, be safely harbored in some little cove on the south bank of the creek; of course, within sight of the Watson house. As his late partner predicted, William Blake was also in winter quarters, with but a single occupation, that of paying his board weekly, and very deep in despair, too, because with no means of earning the requisite number of shillings. Perhaps he did not mean it as unkind, but Matthew Watson had assured
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