“If you detain me now, sir, I am pressed to-day.”
“Oh, no! you are only detained until you prove your apprenticeship, that’s all.”
“Nay, sir, I certainly am pressed during my apprenticeship.”
“Not at all, and I’ll prove it to you. You don’t belong to the ship until you are victualled on her books. Now I sha’n’t victual you to-day, and therefore you won’t be pressed.”
“I shall be pressed with hunger at all events,” replied Tom, who never could lose a joke.
“No you sha’n’t; for I’ll send you both a good dinner out of the gun-room. So you won’t be pressed at all,” replied the lieutenant, laughing at Tom’s reply.
“You will allow me to go, sir, at all events,” replied I; for I knew that the only chance of getting Tom and myself clear was my hastening to Mr Drummond for assistance.
“Pooh! nonsense; you must both row in the same boat as you have done. The fact is, my lads, I’ve taken a great fancy to you both, and I can’t make up my mind to part with you.”
“It’s hard to lose our bread this way,” replied I.
“We will find you bread, and hard enough you will find it,” replied the lieutenant, laughing; “it’s like a flint.”