“Sure on it, sir. I wouldn’t ha’ answered for him if you’d gone back with your tail between your legs, reg’larly whipped; but seeing how you can go back and cry cock-a-doodle-doo!—”
“Like a dog, Tom?” said Aleck, grimly, with a feeling of amusement at the way in which his companion was mixing up his metaphors.
“Like a dog, sir? Tchah! Dogs can’t crow. You know what I mean. Seeing how you can go back with your colours flying, the captain’ll feel proud on yer, and if he’s the gentleman I take him for he’ll cut yer a bit o’ sticking plaster himself. What you’ve got to do is to go straight to his cabin and speak out like a man.”
“Yes, Tom, I mean to—but, Tom—” continued the lad, in a hesitating way.
“Ay ay, sir; what is it?”
“Did you ever hear any of the fishermen say anything against my uncle?”
“Eh? Oh, I’ve heered them gawsip and talk together when they’ve been leaning theirselves over the rail in the sun, gawsiping like, as you may say; but I never took no notice. Fishermen when they’re ashore chatter together like old women over the wash-tubs, but I never takes no heed to what they says. The captain’s been a good friend to me, and so I shuts my ears when people say nasty things.”
“Then you know that they do say nasty things about him?” said Aleck.
“Oh, yes, sir, and ’bout everyone else too. They lets out about me sometimes, I’ve heered, and about my losing my legs; but I don’t mind. I say, though, Master Aleck, sir! Haw—haw—haw! Think o’ me forgetting all about ’em and saying that being at sea never did me no harm! It was a rum ’un!”
Aleck was silent and thinking about his own troubles, making his companion glance at him uneasily, waiting for the lad to speak; but as he remained silent the sailor turned the state of affairs over in his own mind till he hit upon what he considered to be a very happy thought.