"You know, my Lord," D—— continued, "old Tom, Dick, and George were allowed to go ashore yesterday, and, instead of behaving like decent fellows, as they ought to have done on arriving at a foreign port, they must get drunk, and nearly drown themselves in trying to get off to the vessel."
"The deuce they did; and when did this occur?" inquired R——.
"They got drunk last night; but they nearly got drowned this morning, my Lord," D—— answered.
"Where are the men?" asked R——.
"On board, my Lord," D—— said.
"Send them aft."
Away went D—— in search of the delinquent tars; and, as soon as he had got out of ear-shot, R—— observed to me,
"Is not this like these English blackguards? I dare say they have kicked up the devil's own row ashore, and, by squabbling with the inhabitants, brought my vessel into disrepute."
"Let us hear their story before we condemn them," I said; and in two minutes more old Tom, Dick, and George, were arranged in a line before R——, who still continued sitting, cross-legged, on the taffrail, abaft the tiller. They all three looked sheepish enough, and, if one might judge innocence and guilt from the countenance, they seemed criminal in the extreme.
"Well, Tom," R—— commenced, "what is all this about?"