“Well, do you think the men will water that down?”
“Not they! One taste will be quite enough.”
“You don’t think I need label those casks ‘Temptation,’ do you?”
“Nay, sir. If you want to be honest to the lads, I should put ‘Pison’ upon them in big letters.”
“I would,” said the doctor dryly, “but, as you say, sailors are sailors, and I don’t think they’d believe it if I did.”
“What have you put in it, sir?”
“Ah! that’s my secret, Captain Chubb.”
“Well, I hope none of the lads will touch it; but it’s sperrits, you know. Won’t answer for it that if one of them was helping you to bottle up some of them things as we shall fish up when we gets into the Tropics, he wouldn’t be trying a sip.”
“I shouldn’t be surprised either,” said the doctor, “but if he did he wouldn’t do it again.”
The skipper looked at him sharply.