“Yes, dretful lucky,” sez I faintly, for I wuz wore completely out by my long night watches, and I felt fraxious.
“Yes,” sez he, “I wouldn’t have appeared before a Syren without them red tossels for no money. I always wanted to see a Syren!” sez he, a-smoothin’ out the few hairs on each side of his cranium.
Sez he, “She wuz probble a-screamin’ for her lookin’-glass and comb; I’ll go to once on deck. It is a bad night; if she has missed her comb, I might lend her my pocket-comb,” sez he.
“You let Syrens alone, Josiah Allen!” sez I, gittin’ rousted up; “you don’t want to meddle with ’em at all! and do you come back to bed.”
“Not at all,” sez he; “here is the chance of my lifetime. I’ve always wanted to see a Syren, and now I’m a-goin’ to!”
And he reached up to a peg and took down his tall plug hat, and put it on kinder to the side of his head in as rakish a lookin’ way as you ever see a deacon’s hat in the world; he then took his umbrell and started for the door.
Then took his umbrell and started for the door.
Agin come that loud and fearful yell; it did, indeed, seem to be a female in direst agony.
“But,” I sez, “I don’t believe that’s any Syren, Josiah Allen; we read that her voice lures sailors to foller her; no sailor would be lured by that voice, it is enough to scare anybody and drive ’em back, instead of forrered.