"It's a dawg, Mrs. Bunker, an' I won't
have no dawgs aboard my craft."
"Bill," said Mrs. Bunker, "fetch my box up again."
"Leastways," the captain hastened to add, "unless it's any friend of
yours, Mrs. Bunker."
"It's chaperoning me," said Matilda; "it wouldn't be proper for a lady
to go a v'y'ge with two men without somebody to look after her."
"That's right, Sam," said the watchman sententiously. "You ought to know
that at your age."
"Why, we're looking after her," said the simple-minded captain. "Me an'
Bill."
"Take care Bill don't cut you out," said the watchman in a hoarse
whisper, distinctly audible to all. "He's younger nor what you are, Sam,
an' the wimmen are just crazy arter young men. 'Sides which, he's a
finer man altogether. An' you've had ONE wife a'ready, Sam."
"Cast off!" said the skipper impatiently. "Cast off! Stand by there,
Bill!"
"Ay, ay!" said Bill, seizing a boat-hook, and the lines fell into the
water with a splash as the barge was pushed out into the tide.
Mrs. Bunker experienced the usual trouble of landsmen aboard ship, and
felt herself terribly in the way as the skipper divided his attentions
between the tiller and helping Bill with the sail. Meantime the barge
had bothered most of the traffic by laying across the river, and when
the sail was hoisted had got under the lee of a huge warehouse and
scarcely moved.
Pages:
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277