“I am glad to hear it,” replied Marline. “And now we must hope for the best. I think it very likely that the ship will be seen and boarded before long, by our shipmates in the boats.”
“If hoping on my part will do any good, she sartainly will be; and now I think that we might as well make a s’arch for that saw which proved a friend to me the other time I was here. It isn’t particularly wise to put up with troubles, when they can be prevented.”
And the speaker, with much difficulty, proceeded to roll himself about in different directions, in order that he might come into contact with the instrument. This, however, was not to be found, and after he had fruitlessly exerted himself until every bone in his body ached, the shipkeeper worked himself back to the side of his chum, declaring that he believed the Kanakas had guessed the manner in which he had previously liberated himself, and so had carried away the tool.
“Never mind,” replied Marline, “if we remain quiet, the cords will not give us much inconvenience.”
He had scarcely spoken, when a stream of light, caused by the opening of the run-hatch, darted into the after-part of the hold; an occurrence which was duly commented upon by Stump.
“Ay, ay,” said he, “they are a-setting Tom Lark at liberty; and, as soon as that animal gets on deck, he’ll wear ship, and then there’ll be no chance for the craft to fall in with any of the boats. It’s really miraculous, it is, the amount of mischief that such a wolf can make before the law brings him to justice, and—”
“Hark!” interrupted Marline, “the ship is in the ice now!”
“So she is,” replied Stump, as the grinding of the floating bergs against the vessel’s sides and her bottom, became louder each moment; “she’s in for it sure enough, and now if that infarnal champion for ‘equal rights’ as he calls ’em, doesn’t look out he’ll have us a-going to the locker below in a stove ship, which I wouldn’t relish exactly, seeing as my hands and feet are tied criminal-like, and Davy Jones might make a mistake and take me for a pirate. When I go below I’d prefer to go as an honest tar should, with neither ropes nor handcuffs about me. There!” he added, as the after hold again became dark, “they’ve taken him out; he’s at liberty, the big mule—and a mighty pleasant time we’ll have of it. We are prisoners now for a sartainty.”
“It is too soon yet to despair,” replied Marline. “Lark will wear ship of course, but even then, there’ll be a chance of his falling in with the boats. So keep up your spirits, my friend.”
“My spirits ain’t sunk yet,” retorted Stump, “and I think it would be a heavy sea that ’ud sink ’em. To make light of our misfortun’s is the surest way of getting rid of ’em, and it’s astonishing to me how some of my fellow creatur’s will fret themselves about small matters, and think their troubles is ‘catamount’ to everybody else’s.”