'There, there,' said the skipper, 'of course you'll get no more of it, Mr. Fortescue. Mr. Forder says you won't. That will do, Forder. I am exceedingly displeased, outraged, annoyed. But as you have apologised you can go.'
Forder opened his mouth, shut it again, scratched his head, looked at Bertie, sighed, and went down the port poop ladder very slowly. When he reached the deck he walked across to his own berth, put his head inside, and swore vigorously. After this relief he went for'ard again.
'I don't care what trouble there is,' he said, 'so long as it ain't bloody trouble. I'll have a yarn with this Arizona chap as soon as he stops sayin' "Oh," so bad. I ain't bin in Texas myself, flat footin' it over the ties, without knowin' the breed.'
He did know them, and it is very possible that his hard-earned knowledge turned a tragedy into a comedy, and helped to make a man of the owner's son, instead of a very good-looking corpse. For it must be owned that Bertie was not a bad-looking young fellow, and had the makings of a man in him under his conceit.
The wind took off that night, for the centre of the cyclone moved steadily to the north-west, while the Pilgrim was heading more to the south of east, with Trinidad on her starboard quarter. Forder's watch below that night was from eight to twelve, and he took the chance of seeing Arizona Bill, who had now ceased to say 'Oh,' and was saying 'Ah' with a sense of deep relief as he lay on a hay bale, and wondered what folly had brought him to sea when there was so much solid prairie in Arizona.
'How are you makin' it?' asked Forder.
Arizona sighed.
'Why, sir, I'm of opinion I shan't actuly die this time. But I've a mighty strange feelin' of a void within that I've no rek'lection of experiencin' since I was three days without hash in the neighbourhood of the Californian mountings. Thishyer sea-sick business is a holy terror, and some new to me. I'd admire to see my enemies takin' a hand in the game while I stood out.'
'To-morrow you'll be as fit as a fiddle,' said Forder, 'it'll do you good—scrape out your limbers, so to speak.'
Arizona shook his towzled head.