In a moment the convicts broke away. They burst into the cabin next door and filled the pantry, and I heard them laughing and yelling as they flung the food they found at one another and dashed the crockery against the bulkhead. Tom shut the door.
‘Ad ’ow are you, yug gentlebud?’ said Abram, offering me his hand. ‘So the doctor wadted to bake be your pal, eh? He preaches a good serbud,’ he added, shutting one eye and looking at Mr. Bates. ‘What d’ye thik of this, sir, for a piece of orgadisatiod? Is it prettily badaged?’
‘It is grandly managed,’ said I, answering for the mate, who seemed incapable of speech, and who stood staring at the repulsive, massive, small-poxed face and wonderful figure of the prize-fighter with looks of dread and aversion. ‘You, Mr. Abram, will have been the genius of this splendid stroke.’
‘I thik I bay claib to ’ave ’ad a small ’ad in it,’ he answered, with an indescribable smirk of self-complacency, as he gazed at Tom.
‘Hark at those brutes outside!’ cried my sweetheart. ‘There’ll be no navigation, there’ll be nothing to be done with the ship if those hell-hounds are not to be brought under some sort of government.’
‘You bust let theb howl it out of thebselves. They’ve got at the drik and that’s dot going to quiet ’eb,’ said Abram. ‘Perhaps sub of theb will be jubping overboard presedly, or going for each other with the soldiers’ sballarbs; we’re rather duberous.’
He spoke with a great affectation of gentility and superiority. At any other time I should have burst into a fit of laughter at the fellow’s grotesque, genteel air, coupled with the indescribable leering smirk of self-complacency that was fixed upon his pitted face.
‘Captain Butler, what use can you make of me?’ said Mr. Bates, finding his voice on a sudden. ‘I owe you my life, and I want to prove myself grateful, and I want to show myself grateful for Mr. Abram’s friendship and protection.’
‘Let Mr. Bates go and take charge of the deck,’ said Tom, looking at Abram.
Abram, with a cunning grin, shook his head. ‘Trust the ship to wud of her bates! Reckon that he’s going to steer you to the port agreed upod for our dispersal? He’ll wait upod you!’ said Abram.