“Glad on it, sir. Not as I likes women aboard; but I don’t want ’em to be ill. Good job we’ve got the doctor here, to see as everybody takes his salts and senny reg’lar; but what in the world the skipper meant by shipping that great long chap, Mr Wilson, for I don’t know. He won’t go into one o’ your soots, Mr Dutch, I know.”
“Oh, no,” said Dutch, smiling; “he’s a naturalist, and going to collect birds.”
“And take ’em out too, sir. He is a long-legged ’un. Why, I see him hit his head twiced up agen the cabin ceiling, and he’s allus knocking his hat out o’ shape. Nattalist, eh? Well, he’s about the unnattalist-shaped chap I ever see, and all corners. It’s my opinion, sir, as when he was made Natur begun him for a geerarf, and when she’d done his legs altered her mind and turned him into a man. You don’t mind me going on talking, sir?”
“No, Oakum, I like it,” said Dutch, though he hardly took in a word.
“Well, sir, he’s got a couple of cages full of birds, robins, and sparrers, and starnels, and all sorts, as he says he’s going to set free out in South Amerikee, and bring back the cages full of other sorts.”
“Naturalists have queer ideas, Oakum,” said Dutch, moving himself. “But about this place we are going to. The sea is always calm, you say?”
“’Cept in stormy times, sir, when, of course, she gets a bit thick. But there, don’t you worry about that; we’ll take you right to the spot, and lay you just where you can have the long-boat out with the pumps and traps, or maybe even get the schooner anchored right over the place, and you and Master Rasp there can go down and crowbar the gold and silver out in heaps.”
“But suppose some one has been there before us,” said Dutch.
“Not they, sir: first place, no one knows of it ’cept that furren gentleman; second place, where’s the air-pumps and divers’ togs, to go down and get at it? I get wondering now why I never thought of a trip out there, after being with Capen Studwick here, but I never did. And now, sir, if you’ll give me a light I’ll have a quiet smoke.”
Dutch took out a match-box, and was going to light up, but Oakum held up his hand to command silence; and before the young man could make out what he was about to do, he stepped softly to the side, where a large tarpaulin covered one of the boats lying in its chocks, gave one end of the cover a sharp snatch, and the mulatto started up.