Now there's a lump of beef and some taters on,
an' you'd better go and make a good square meal, an' next time you want
to alter the religion of people as knows better than you do, think
twice."
"We don't want no beef, sir; biskit'll do for us," said Dick firmly.
"All right, please yourselves," said the skipper; "but mind, no hanky-
panky, no coming for drink when my back's turned; this cask'll be
watched; but if you do alter your mind about the beef you can tell the
cook to get it for you any time you like."
He threw the bottles overboard, and, ignoring the groaning and head-
shaking of the men, walked away, listening with avidity to the
respectful tributes to his genius tendered by the mate and cook--
flattery so delicate and so genuine withal that he opened another
bottle.
"There's just one thing," said the mate presently; "won't the rum affect
the cooking a good deal?"
"I never thought o' that," admitted the skipper; "still, we musn't
expect to have everything our own way."
"No, no," said the mate blankly, admiring the other's choice of
pronouns.
Up to Friday afternoon the skipper went about with a smile of kindly
satisfaction on his face; but in the evening it weakened somewhat, and
by Saturday morning it had vanished altogether, and was replaced by an
expression of blank amazement and anxiety, for the crew shunned the
water cask as though it were poison, without appearing to suffer the
slightest inconvenience.
Pages:
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149