“But I’m an officer,” I said testily. “I’m not going to help them escape.”
The marine grinned.
“No, sir, ’tain’t likely; but we has strict orders. You ask my mate, sir.”
“Yes, sir; that’s it, sir,” said the other respectfully.
“What a bother!” I cried impatiently. “I only wanted to see how they looked.”
“’Tain’t my fault, sir; strict orders. And they ain’t very pretty to look at, sir, and it’d be ’most as safe to go in and see a box o’ wild-beasts. Doctor’s been in this last hour doin’ on ’em up, with depitty, and two on us inside at the ‘present’ all the time. They’d think nothing o’ flying at him, and all the time he was taking as much pains with them as if they were some of our chaps. They have give it to one another awful.”
“Well, I am sorry,” I said. “I should have liked to see them.”
“So’m I sorry, sir; I’d have let you in a minute, but you don’t want to get me in a row, sir.”
“Oh no, of course not,” I said.
“My mate here says, sir—”