“And what provisions have you made for the journey?” I said.
“Oh, I’m all right, my lad!” he drawled. “Father lent me his revolver, and I’ve got my double gun, and two pound o’ powder and a lot o’ shot.”
“Anything else?”
“Oh, I’ve got my knife, and a bit o’ string, and two fishing-lines and a lot of hooks, and I brought my pipe and my Jew’s-harp, and I think that’s all.”
“I’m glad you brought your Jew’s-harp,” I said ironically.
“So am I,” he said drily. “Yah! I know: you’re grinning at me, but a Jew’s-harp ain’t a bad thing when you’re lonely like, all by yourself, keeping sheep and nobody to speak to for a week together but Gyp. I say, Joe, I brought Gyp,” he added with a smile that made his face look quite pleasant.
“What! your dog?” I cried.
“Yes; he’s all snug down below, and he hasn’t made a sound. He don’t like it, but if I tell him to do a thing he knows he’s obliged to do it.”
“I say, I wonder what the captain will say if he knows you’ve got a dog on board?”
“I sha’n’t tell him, and if he don’t find it out I shall pay him for Gyp’s passage just the same as I shall pay him for mine. I’ve got lots of money, and I hid on board to save trouble. I ain’t a cheat.”