“Well, what did he say?”
“Nothing at all.”
“What! no lies now.”
“Who’s telling lies? He didn’t say a word about it. We had something of more consequence to talk about.”
“Now, Tanner, hark at that. Did you ever hear such a miserable cheeky little beggar in your life? It’s of no use; we must give him a regular good towelling.”
“Better tell us what the luff said, Gnat,” growled Barkins, in so strange an accession of gruffness that I began to laugh.
“Why, what’s the matter with you?” I said. “Don’t gruff and grow hoarse like that.”
“Can’t help it; got a cold, I s’pose,” he cried. “But I say, stop it now; we want to be friends. Tell us what the luff said.”
“Precious little,” I replied. “I did all the speaking till we went up on the quarter-deck.”
“Don’t listen to him,” cried Smith, growing wroth with me. “I never saw such cheek. One tries to be friends with him, but it’s of no use; directly you open your mouth he jumps down your throat.”