Part 18 (2/2)

”What business had he to stow hi the shi+p?” cried Growles, in a surly way ”We shall hear what the captain has to say to him To my notion, as he's made his bed, so he'll have to lie on it”

”Co chap if he were left to die, without any of us trying to bring hi, so just one of you lend a hand here, and we'll put hiet the cook to make some broth for hi, a person, as evidently one of the officers, cabeen discovered?

The ht on deck, and that they thought I was dying

”It would have saved trouble to have hove him overboard before he cah ”The captain doesn't allow of stoays, and we don't want any aboard here”

He said this, I suppose, to frighten me, indifferent to the consequences

”He's very bad, sir,” saidhis hat, ”and, maybe, it won't ive me leave, I'll take him below to my berth, after we've washed off the dirt that sticks to hi him round, and when he's himself we can make some use of him at all events

We want a boy forward very badly, and he'll be worth his salt, I've a notion”

”You may do what you like with him, Tom Trivett,” answered the officer, ”only don't let us be bothered with hi rascal He'll have to look out for himself, if he don't mind”

The officer was the third e of the deck He made further inquiries about how I had been found, and asked theon board?

Trivett replied that they were entirely ignorant as to how I had co peculiar noises, they lifted the hatch, and that he had gone down and discovered me

”We shall hear by-and-by what he has to say for himself In the meantime, Trivett, take care of hihost you fellows have been frightened about,”

said the htened than he was,” I heard some of the e noises we heard came from when any of us went down into the hold He's precious ready to call us cowards, but he was o down unless he had a couple of hands with hi my head and neck When thehim a bucket of ater fro-brush, and a piece of canvas

The sun was shi+ning brightly, and the air arht have been felt To his own pocket-cole h soreatly refreshed me Before it was concluded, Julius Caesar, the black cook, who had soht out a basin of soup, fro child This still further revived me

”You shall have so you,” said To re to assist their shi+pmate, evidently perfectly indifferent as to what happened to h perhaps curious to see whether I should revive under the treat by the colour of the water after I had been washed in it, I must have been as black as a coal I rather think Julius Caesar must have fancied that I was one of his own race, anda blackamoor washed white When the operation was concluded, Growles again came and had a look atchap who caht as when I saw hi, but never fancied that he was going to stow himself away, or I should have been on the watch for him Well, he'll have to pay pretty smartly for the trick he has played us”

My friend Tom took no notice of this and siain fedforward fro allant forecastle The lad, without hesitation, did as he was directed, and took upcarried along,backwards, when I at once recognised hih he looked very different to the s chap he hen I last saw him, and he evidently did not know me

”Can't you find a shi+rt and a pair of trousers for the poor fellow?”

cried To terribly”

Mark ran aft, and in a short tiar the food which had been given me, I was still too weak to speak He and Tom lifted me into an upper bunk on the starboard side As he did so, I stretched out ers I could just say, ”Thank you, Mark”

He looked at me very hard, but still did not see, as he did not even know that I had gone to Liverpool I was so altered, that even nised me He, however, asked To stoay, but that he knew no more about me than did the man in the moon

”Go and fetch the remainder of the broth,” I heard Toets a sound sleep he'll come round, I have a notion”

”If he does, it will only be to lead a dog's life,” et the broth

To to make me comfortable till Mark returned with soh I could drink the liquid, it ith difficulty that I could et down a few pieces