United States or Jordan ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
The little Doctor laughed, and away we all cantered Don Ricardo leading, followed by his wife and nieces, on three stout mules, sitting, not on side saddles, but on a kind of chair, with a foot board on the larboard side to support the feet then followed the two Calens, and little Reefpoint, while the Captain and I brought up the rear.
And there he sat twisting and craning himself about, and screwing his features into combinations evincing the most comical perplexity. The captain, by the way of a bit of fun, pretended not to hear him. "Maintop, there," quoth he. The midshipman in the top answered him, "Ay, ay, sir." "Not you, Mr Reefpoint; the captain of the top I want."
"He. is not in the top, sir," responded little Reefpoint, chuckling like to choke himself. "Where the devil is he, sir?" "Here, sir," squealed Timothy, his usual gruff voice spindling into a small cheep through his great perplexity. "Here, sir." "What are you doing there, sir? Come down this moment, sir.
"God bless me!" he cried, with an outbreak of the most heartfelt grief; "you seem more fit to be in your mother's nursery, than to be knocked about in this way." Reefpoint sank fainting into his arms. "With the captain's permission you must have my bed," said Aaron to him, whilst he and Wagtail undressed the boy with the greatest care and tenderness, and laid him in the hammock.
"Thank you, sir," sobbed little Reefpoint, "if my mother were here, she would thank you too." My duty called me on deck, and I heard no more. The night was very dark, and I could see nothing of the stranger, but I steered as near as I could in the direction I believed him to have taken, hoping to catch a glimpse of him at daybreak. After a little while Bangs came on deck.
When we boarded the slaver, we left on board our vessel the helmsman Peter Mangrave, the black quarter-master Pearl, five negroes who were on board as passengers, little Reefpoint, who was wounded, and Bangs, Gelid, and Wagtail.
Mr Reefpoint, go to the boat and send up Tailtackle; so go you must to these unfortunates, and we shall then start on our cruise to the Coffee Estate with our worthy host."
Transom and I started up, the women shrieked; but before we could get the door to again, in rode little Reefpoint on a mule, with the doctor of the Firebrand behind him, bound, or lashed, as we call it, to him by a strong thong. The black servants and the females took them for incarnate fiends, I fancy, for the yells and shrieks they set up were tremendous.
"The deuce!" said I. I now saw the chase very distinctly bear up. "Put the helm up keep her away a bit steady at that will do fire a shot across her bows, Mr Tailtackle and, Mr Reefpoint, show the private signal." The gun was fired, and the lights shown, but our spectral friend was all darkness and silence. "Mr Scarfemwell," said I to the carpenter, "stand by the long gun.
"Oh," said little Reefy, "the doctor was not on the mule in crossing no, no, Captain, I knew better I had him in tow, sir; but after we crossed he was so faint and chill, that I had to lash myself to him to keep him from sliding over the animal's counter, and walk he could not." "But, Master Reefpoint, why came you back? did I not desire you to remain on board of the Firebrand, sir?"
Word Of The Day