Part 13 (1/2)
”Arrah, sure now, Misther Gray-ham, arn't ye sorry ye iver came to say, at all at all?”
I should like to have pitched soh I knehat he would say the rin of his and the cunning wink of his left eye
”No,” I cried as courageously as I was able under the circumstances, ”I'm not sorry, I tell you, in spite of all that has happened, and when I get better I'll pay you out for orra don't say that now, h, me bhoy, ye look as if ye'd been toorned insoide out, loike them injy-rubber divils childer has to play wid 'Dade an'
I'd loike to say ye sprooce an' hearty ag'in; but ownly kape aisy an'
ye'll be all roight in toiain at the very thought of eating ”Go away, do, and leave me alone--o-oh!”
And then I orse than ever, and seemed afterwards to have no heart, or head, or sto
The boatswain did not forget h, in spite of his fun at ain abouttheme a pannikin of hot coffee, his panacea for every woe
”Hi, lilly pijjin, drinkee dis chop chop,” said he, holding the pannikin to my mouth ”Makee tummy tummy number one piecee!”
I could not s ood; for, after Ching wang had gone away I fell asleep, not waking till the afternoon, when, the shi+p being steadier, I ed to scramble out ofdecidedly weak but considerably better than in the s already?” cried Mr Mackay onup the poop ladder ”I didn't expect to see you out for another day at least”
”I don't feel all right yet, sir,” said I, and I'm sure my pale face must have shown this without any explanation; ”but, I didn't like to give way to being ill, thinking it best to fight against it”
”Quite right, my boy,” he replied ”I've never been sea-sick myself, not even the first ti from the complaint, and I have noticed that theused to the motion of the shi+p by this tihtly, however, to the bulwarks as I spoke, the Silver Queen just then giving a lurch to starboard that nearly pitched me overboard ”I'll soon be able to stand up like you, sir”
”Well, at all events, you've got plenty of pluck, Grahaood sailor You were asking ht about the course of the shi+p, if your sickness hasn't put our talk out of your head How far do you think we've run?”
”A good way, I suppose, sir,” I answered, ”with that gale of wind”
”Yes, pretty so so,” he said ”When the cap'en took the sun at noon to- day ere in latitude 48 degrees 17 rees 20 west, or about two hundred miles off Ushant, which we're to the southward of; so, we've run a goodish bit from our point of departure”
”Oh, I re interested, as he unfolded the chart which was lying on top of the cabin skylight and showed me the vessel's position ”And we've co as heto another spot at least a couple of inches away froht to fetch about here, ood and no accident happens to us, please God”
The shi+p at this ti her topgallants and courses again; for, although the sea was rough and covered with long rolling waves, that curled over their ridges into valleys of foa pretty well half a gale now from the north-west, to which point the wind had hauled round, it was keeping steady in that quarter, for the baro south-west by south, was bending well over so that her lee-side was flush al easily, and presented a perfect picture, with the sun bringing out her white clouds of canvas in stronger contrast against the clear blue sky overhead and tuht and bits of brass-work about on the deck gleaolden radiance as it slowly sank below the horizon, a great globe of fire like aalways on the same starboard tack, for she wore round as the wind shi+fted
Oh, yes, ere going; and so, evidently, Captain Gillespie thought when he caside Mr Mackay on the poop
”This is splendid!” said he, rubbing his hands as usual and addressing the firston to the bulwarks to preserve le fro over with the wind ”I don't knohen the old barquey ever went so free”
”Nor I, sir,” replied the other with equal enthusiase before, I think, sir”
”No,” said the captain ”A good start, a fairish wind and plenty of it, a decent crew as far as I can judge as yet, and every prospect of a good voyage What , sir”
”And I forgot, Mackay, while speaking of our luck, for you know I like to be particular, and when I say a thing I --no stoays on board!”
”True, sir,” responded the first reat abhorrence of these uninvited and unwelcoe we've never been troubled with one”