"'You allee-lightee, Lung?' him say.
"'No can tell,' me say. 'Tink-um China boy plenty muchee sick, plaps him die pletty soon.'
"'No sick, no dead if can chin-chin,' him say, an' go 'way."
"Was that the bosun?" asked Jim.
"Yass, him bosun," replied Lung, as he handed Jim a kid of steaming burgoo and a big tin of a coloured concoction known at sea by the name of "ship's coffee."
Jim started warily for the foc's'le, but the eagle eye of Black Davis was upon him, and he was fairly caught.
"Hyeh, yew kid! What yew doin'? Is this y'r watch on deck or ain't it?" roared the mate from aft.
"Come hyeh, yew whelp!" he bellowed.
Jim went bravely up on to the poop and faced the bully, expecting nothing less than a knockdown; but Black Davis, though boiling with rage, controlled himself with an effort.