None but a sneak would turn against his shipmates
and his ship, when overhauled by the Royal Navy."
Betwixt the two voices, Dan said nothing, but looked at the lieutenant
with that gaze which the receiver takes to mean doubt of his meaning,
while the doubt more often is--what to do with it.
"Are you here of your own accord? Do you belong to this schooner of your
own accord? Are you one of this crew, of your own free-will?"
Scudamore rang the changes on his simple question, as he had often been
obliged to do in the Grammar-school at Stonnington, with the slow-witted
boys, who could not, or would not, know the top from the bottom of a
sign-post. "Do you eat with your eyes?" he had asked them sometimes; and
they had put their thumbs into their mouths to enquire.
"S'pose I am," said Dan at last, assuming stupidity, to cover
hesitation; "yes, sir, I come aboard of my own free-will."
"Very well. Then I am glad to find you comfortable. I shall see your
father next week, perhaps. Shall I give him any message for you?"
"No, sir! For God's sake, don't let him know a word about where you
have seen me. I came away all of a heap, and I don't want one of them to
bother about me."
"As you wish, Dan. I shall not say a word about you, until you return
with your earnings. But if you found the fishing business dull, surely
you might have come to us, Dan. Any volunteers here for His Majesty's
service?" Scudamore raised his voice, with the usual question.
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