“Then, we will!” replied Bob rather curtly. “Have you got anything to bale her out with?”
“Well, Master Bob,” observed Dick, grinning, “fur a young gen’leman as is so sharp, you’ve got a orful bad mem’ry! Don’t ’ee recollect the booket as ye helped me fur to wash down the decks wi’ this very marnin’?”
“Dear me, Dick, I declare I quite forgot that!” said Bob, with a laugh, seeing Dick’s grin; for, it was not so dark now in their immediate vicinity, the breeze having lifted the fog slightly from the surface of the water. “Where is the bucket stored?”
“In the locker, joost by ’ee,” was Dick’s response, as he waded through the water and came up to his companion. “Stop, I’ll get ’im for ’ee! I’ll have to make a dive fur he, though!”
“Have you got it?” inquired Bob, after Dick had groped about for some time, popping his head under water and coming up at intervals for breath. “Have you got it?”
“’Ees,” said he at length, lugging out the bucket, “I’ve got ’im!”
Then, they set to work, each using it alternately.
The exertion did them both good, too, standing up as they were to their middles in water; for, it prevented them shivering with cold as they had before done.
Bucketful after bucketful they emptied over the side; and, still they did not appear to decrease the quantity the cutter contained to any appreciable extent, bale they, as they baled, their hardest!
Gradually, however, the after-thwart became clear.