“Why, sir,” rejoined his companion, “I am as sore as if I had been soundly thrashed with a handspike; but, howd-soever, that doesn’t matter—we must look out for squalls on land as well as on sea, till we are fairly housed either under ground or in Davy Jones.”
“Take my spy-glass,” said the young officer, “walk down to the shore, and see if our little hooker is appearing in sight yet.”
“As I take it,” replied Bill, “she can’t be far astarn of us, for she has had a spanking breeze all day.”
So saying, snatching up his hat, he was preparing to quit the room, when the officer bawled out—
“’Vast there, my lad—I’ll accompany you.” And they both descended together.
Turning down the arch which leads to the pier, they strolled along till they overtook four or five men who were lounging at that part where the pier turns outward at an obtuse angle. Below them lay a longboat, apparently intended for piloting the ships into the harbour. One of them was a man about sixty years of age, whose small head and piercing eye, slouched under a broad-brimmed hat, were strangely contrasted with the bluff and muscular appearance of his body. His face was covered with a thick shaggy beard, which seemed not to have been in the hands of the barber for a month at least. The rest of the men had nothing remarkable in their appearance; but all of them seemed to be at least twenty years younger than the old fellow just mentioned.
“Well, my lads,” said the officer, “any ships in sight?”
“Never a one,” replied the old fellow, in a gruff voice; “we may stand here all the day blowing our fingers, and whistling to Molly Jackson, long enough before she send us that windfall.”
“Perhaps that windfall may happen sooner than you expect,” replied the officer. “I expect a vessel soon; she cannot be far distant.”
“Which direction does she come?” eagerly asked the old man. But no sooner were the words out of his mouth than a square-rigged vessel was observed doubling St Abb’s, which had before concealed her from their view. In a minute the blue-jack flew up to her foretopmast head.