“I say what I mean,” shouted the captain; “and off with you at once—one taking the starboard, and one the larboard rigging. What, you don’t like to spoil your clothes, I see. I was not allowed any clothes to spoil when I was in an English prison.”
“Surely you will let us borrow some frocks, sir,” answered David. “Though we are gentlemen, and unaccustomed to such work, we are willing to obey you, only we don’t want to spoil our clothes.”
“Aloft, I say, or overboard you go. There’s a fellow alongside ready to breakfast off you, if you are anxious to feed him.” The little Frenchman looked so fierce that the boys really believed he was in earnest.
“It can’t be helped,” said David. “You must tell me what to do, for I never blacked down rigging even on board the yacht.”
“Just secure the bucket as you descend, and take care not to let the tar drop from the brush on deck. It’s not the difficulty of the thing, but it is very derogatory.”
Seeing that there was no use in further expostulation, the boys took each of them a bucket as they were ordered, and ascended, one on one side, and one on the other, of the fore-rigging, and having reached the masthead Harry secured his bucket, and showed David how to secure his. The operation, besides being a very dirty one, was tedious, as each rope had to be gone carefully round with the tar. Often they made melancholy faces at each other as they gradually descended, but neither the captain nor officers showed the slightest commiseration, only watching apparently to see that the work was effectually performed. While the captain remained on deck the crew took no notice of them. This was, however, evidently done in kindness. At length the work was over, and, seeing the captain on deck, they thought the best way was to go aft and report what they had done. “Very well,” said the captain; “tomorrow you will black down the main-rigging; in the meantime I want to see a polish put upon those brass stanchions, and the swivel guns are not so bright as they should be. I shall have work for you in my cabin, too, by and by. You are young English gentlemen, I understand. You may consider it a privilege to have to serve a poor republican seaman, who has worked his way up from before the mast.”
“We will do our best to obey you, sir,” answered David, who wisely wished to conciliate the man, in spite of his surly manners. He remembered that “a soft answer turneth away wrath.”