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Up came the mate, who observed: "We've got a fireman down below who has killed two or three niggers by butting them to death with his head." "Send him up," I said, "and I'll butt him till he is sick of butting." We had all been drinking wine, and everybody laughed, supposing that it was the liquor talking, and not me.
"I'd rather have an animal on board than let you have a gun. You might get shot." "I I could squirt water on 'em with my fire engine!" shouted Freddie, who had given up trying to make Snoop do any tricks. "Oh, we had enough of your engine, little fat fireman," said Mr. Bobbsey with a laugh. "Now then, if you're all ready, we'll move the boat."
He might be shiv'rin' be th' stove in th' ingine house with a buffalo robe over his head; but, whin th' gong sthruck, 'twas off with coat an' cap an' buffalo robe, an' out come me brave Clancy, bare-headed an' bare hand, dhrivin' with wan line an' spillin' th' hose cart on wan wheel at ivry jump iv th' horse. Did anny wan iver see a fireman with his coat on or a polisman with his off?
And lest the Redoubtable should take fire from the lower-deck guns, whose muzzles touched her side when they were run out, the fireman of each gun stood ready with a bucket of water to dash into the hole made by the shot. While the starboard guns of the Victory were thus employed, her larboard guns were in full play upon the Bucentaure and the huge Santissima Trinidad.
"Here you are, sir drink this," said a fireman, offering a pannikin of beer. It was unpalatable stuff, but it tasted like the nectar of the gods to one who had sustained a blow that would have felled an ox. Hozier had almost emptied the tin when an exclamation from an Irish stoker drew all eyes to the after part of the ship. "Holy war! Will ye look at that!" shouted the man.
"Good 'ealth," said the fireman, and disposed of his share at a draught. "That's bucked me up wonderful." He lay back in his chair and from a little tobacco-box began to fill a short clay pipe. "Look 'ere, mates, I'm soberin' up, like, after the smoke, an' I can see, I can see plain, as nobody'll ever believe me. Nobody ever does, worse luck, but 'ere goes. Pass the matches."
The baggage car, just behind it, was broken all to pieces, but the passenger cars did not seem to have suffered very much, and nobody was badly hurt, as the engineer and fireman had jumped off in time. "This train'll never get in on time," said Ford to the conductor, a little later. "How'll I get to the city?"
Paul Livingstone was appealed to and told them where they could find the coal docks at which their own tug was lying. All hurried to the place and called up Captain Carson. "I'll get up steam just as soon as I can," said the tug captain, and hustled out his engineer and fireman. Soon the black smoke was pouring from the tug's stack and in less than half an hour they were ready to move.
Some plasterers at work on a warehouse near left their ladders and joined the workmen. The fireman, who was describing circles with his bare feet, on the watch-tower, halted, and, after looking steadily at them for a few minutes, came down. The watch-tower was left deserted. This seemed suspicious. "There must be a fire somewhere. Don't shove me! You damned swine!" "Where do you see the fire?
"Why, yes," replied the fireman, "your father is not the man to see a woman in distress and stand by. He'll give her in charge of the guard, for you see, ma'am, he's not allowed to leave his engine." Will addressed the latter part of his remarks to Netta. "That is just what Mrs Marrot said, and that will do equally well.
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