“Well, of course that’s what he did do, mate,” said the master, reprovingly; “and yew got ’em to work easy at last, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s what I did do, when they would work. I had to set to and see if I couldn’t get away out of that place.”
“’Fore them scallywags come back,” said the master, drawing a long breath. “That’s right.”
“There was the door locked fast,” continued Esau, “and I knew I couldn’t get out that way; so as there was no windows, and the boards were all nailed down tight, the only way seemed to be through the roof.”
“I know,” said the master, changing the course of the boat. “Yew meant to get up, knock off some shingles, and then let yewrself down with the two ropes tied together.”
“Look here,” said Esau, ill-humouredly, “you’d better tell the story.”
“No, no, stranger; go on, go on,” said the master, apologetically. “Go on, go on.”
“Well, that’s just what I was going to do,” said Esau, condescendingly, “only there wasn’t any shingles that I saw, but the place was covered over with wooden slates.”
“Those are what they call shingles, my lad,” said Gunson.
“Oh, very well, I don’t care,” said Esau, acidly. “All I know is, I joined those two pieces of rope together, tied one end round my waist, and I was just going to climb up the side to the rafters, when I thought to myself I might meet somebody outside, who’d try to stop me; and though I felt that you two would be gone, I didn’t want to have taken all my trouble for nothing, and be locked up there again. So I had a bit of a look round, and picked out from some wood in a corner a pretty tidy bit, with a good headache at the end.”