Part 19 (1/2)
It was one of the pigs, which, giving vent to a -boat deliberately over the port side of the shi+p into the sea, sinking iside
Theni also froaed in when sky-larking in the second dog-watch!
This was no sky-larking, however, for the captain on the poop, as well as Mr Saunders and myself up in the e occurrence the same as Tim Rooney, and all of us were equally astonished
As for Captain Gillespie, being a very superstitious ly impressed by what had happened His voice quite trembled as he called out to Ti which he was too much startled to speak:
”Wha--what's the matter with them, bosun?”
”Sorry o' me knows,” replied Tim in an equally awestruck voice, either full of real or very well assuot howld av 'ehty disrespectful av his honour jist now Aye, take s is ot into 'e up his nose soso like an old owl in the bright light of thewith all the fulness and brilliancy it has in these southern latitudes, that it was asand so betraying my presence in the top above his head I was all the more amused, too, when ”Old Jock” turned to the second lad I never killed the ani! Have the re brute chucked overboard, Saunders; it would be unlucky to keep it after what has happened I'ain!”
So saying, Captain Gillespie went below and took a stiff glass of grog to recover his nerves He ot into his cot for he did not appear on deck again until thefor hiood,” however, and the aptness of the adage ell illustrated in the present instance, theby some tit-bits salted down for a rainy day, at the expense of ”Old Jock's” superstitious fears
It onderful, though, how ” which the captain had ordered to be chucked overboard, and which Mr Saunders had, instead, given over to Ching wang's tender , however, that he was to have one of the best pieces stuffed and baked, the secondYes, it onderful for one pig to have no less than twelve legs!
I will tell you how this was
Tom Jerrold let me into the secret It sees who jumped into the sea in that allant stu'n'sail halliards being dexterously fastened round the fashi+on; and when the poor brutes were jerked overboard by the aid of these, they were allowed to tow under the keel of the shi+p until their squeals were hushed for ever, and then drawn inboard again and cut up in the forecastle When they were carved properly into pork, the ht them none the less delicious because they had come to their death by water instead of by the ordinary butcher's knife; and, as I had the opportunity of testing this opinion in a savoury little pig's fry which Ching wang presented e that I agreed thoroughly with the judgment of the hands in the matter of ”spiflicated pork,” as Tom Jerrold called it
”dick, dick, what do you think of it all?” said I, chirping to the starling, histling wide ahen I turned out nextof the poor et some hot coffee ”What do you think of it all--eh, dick?”
”Tip us your flipper!” hoarsely croaked the bright-eyed little bird with the voice of Ti way off He also seemed to have the nose of Captain Gillespie, which we all said his long beak strongly reseet out of hihted, and the captain's marmalade ied
Poor ”Old Jock's” live stock of late appeared to be in a very bad way; for, not only was he deprived of his favourite pigs so unfortunately, but since we had begun to run s from the collection of hens he had in the coops on the poop daily dwindled down to nothing, although they had previously been good layers
Somehow or other the fowls seemed to have the pip, while the three cocks, one a splendid silver and gold felloho lorded over the hareled as if they had given way to dissipated habits Besides this, they took to crowing defiance against each other at the most unearthly hours, whereas, prior to this, their tiular as clock- work, in the afternoon and in the ”enerally
Captain Gillespie couldn'ton the deck through the cuddy doors below the break of the poop instead ofup to the latter by the co down, he surprised a nualley
There was Ching wang in the centre of the group, holding Captain Gillespie's pet gold and silver crower and urging it on to fight one of the other cocks, which the carpenter was officiating for as ”bottle holder” in theno novice at the cruel sport
The captain did not see what they were about at first; but the delinquent was soon pointed out by Pedro Carvalho, bethom and the Chinaman the most deadly enmity existed, and who had indeed already informed the captain of the cook's treat this withthe infor wang now, sah! Oh, yase, dere he was, sah, as I say, killin' your cockles nificent--oh!”
The captain's appearance at once broke up the ring, the carpenter dropping his bird incontinently and fleeing into the forecastle with the other men; but, the Chinaman never moved a muscle of his countenance when he turned his round innocent-looking, vacuous, Mongolian face and caught sight of ”Old Jock's” infuriated look bent on hiold and silver cock, whose plue had been sadly tarnished by a previous tourna which the carpenter had squired No, he held his ground there before the galley with a courage one could not but ad the occasional twinkling of his little beady Chinese eyes
”Wh-hat the dicken's d-d-d'ye mean by this?” stuttered and sta his speech