Thorogood leaned forward and extended a stretcher for inspection.
"How the devil am I to pull with a stretcher like this, Pills?" he demanded. "It'll smash before we've gone a yard."
"When I was at Keyham," said the Engineer Lieutenant, slopping water over the canvas parcelling on his oar in a professional manner, "we used to have stretchers made with——"
"We don't want to hear about Keyham," said the First Lieutenant, "we want to get to work. Shove the perishing thing away, James, and stop chawing your fat. If it's good for Nelson it's good enough for you."
"Do we start training in earnest to-day?" demanded the India-rubber
Man, gloomily rubbing his calves. "Because I don't mind admitting that
I like to start gradually. 'Another-Little-Drink-Won't-Do-Us-Any-Harm'
sort of spirit."
"We shan't start at all if Double-O Gerrard doesn't find that blessed boat-hook an' shove her off soon," retorted the long, lean third bow, speaking for the first time.
"I can't see without my glasses," complained the bow, fumbling among the blades of the oars. "Where is the bloomin' thing? Ah, here we are!"
"Shove off forward!" bellowed the voice of the coxswain for the third time.
The bow leaned his weight behind the boathook against the ship's side, and the bows of the galley sheered off slowly.
"We're awa'," said the India-rubber Man, "we're awa'! Lord, 'ow lovely!"