BARGEMASTER
a novel containing historical data

    The two other crewmembers came running and jumped on to the boat. Kok told them to sit down and relax while he would use the pole for the last stretch. Peter enjoyed the obvious amazement of the resistance boys as they watched Kok’s skill. The boy had purposely gone to the bow to sit with them. When he manipulated the pole, Kok didn’t need anybody at the rudder. As it sped along, the barge remained at an exact equidistance from the shores.
    “There is no doubt that Joop knew exactly what he was doing when he insisted that there is only one guy who is perfectly suited for the job,” the tall guy remarked.
    “We got lucky! And he is doing it all at no charge,” the short guy added. Then, turning to Peter: “Does he know exactly where to stop?”
    “Not if you guys didn’t tell him; but, don’t worry. As soon as he’ll get behind the Verhagen residence, he’ll slow down. He knows it is one of those houses.”
    “Then, he knows as much as we do. I venture to guess that Joop’s upper body will be hanging out of the window of the house in question.”
    “And he’ll be frantically waving a flashlight,” Peter added with a laugh. “And that will probably be unnecessary. Uncle has cats’ eyes. He frequently takes a barge from one municipality to the next all in the dark.”
    There was a burst of laughter from all three when they saw the moving flashlight up ahead. Uncle continued at the same speed for another fifty meters. Then, he took his pole out of the water and calmly walked to the rudder. He sat down and let the barge float against the shore. At the gentle touch, uncle stood up and, holding a short pole upright against the boat, drove it into the mud at the back. As he walked to the front to repeat the action, Peter went aft to wrap the chain around the upright. Uncle did the same at the front and the boat lay motionless. The open window was pretty well exactly at the midsection of the hold.