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"Aha! mister soldier," he said using the mode of address which, for some reason known only to himself, he deemed most offensive to Lance his lips curling into a sneering smile as he spoke, "what are you doing away from your work? Go back to it at once, unless you wish me to start you with a rope's-end as I would an unruly boy."

Be particular to make that Hector of yours knock off from swearing: he's begun, and what's begun in sin is pretty sartain to have an indin'. Talk to him, first, and, if that won't do, rope's-end it out of him. There's great vartue in ratlin stuff, among boys. As for yourself, Neb, hold on as you have begun, and the Lord will have marcy on you, before the v'y'ge is up."

Gray and Ben Gunn came and went with the boat, while the rest, during their absences, piled treasure on the beach. Two of the bars, slung in a rope's-end, made a good load for a grown man one that he was glad to walk slowly with. For my part, as I was not much use at carrying, I was kept busy all day in the cave, packing the minted money into bread-bags.

I must do what I would gladly have avoided, and ask the ladies to give me more authority over him, since they will not exercise it themselves." At the implied sneer and perhaps even more at the tone of it, so foreign to the Captain Branscome that I knew I blazed up wrathfully. "If you mean by that," said I, "to threaten me with the rope's-end, I advise you to try it.

But, in many cases, even the reluctant drawing of his grog cannot exempt a prudent seaman from ignominy; for besides the formal administering of the "cat" at the gangway for petty offences, he is liable to the "colt," or rope's-end, a bit of ratlin-stuff, indiscriminately applied without stripping the victim at any time, and in any part of the ship, at the merest wink from the Captain.

Simon Hixon was his greatest foe, and frequently as Peter passed gave him a blow with a rope's-end. One day as Peter was quietly reading his Bible in the berth, Hixon swore that if he found him again at it, he would throw the book overboard. "It would be a great shame to do that," answered Peter, "and I hope you won't try. God would, I am sure, not allow you to go unpunished."

No one ever abused me, or gave me the taste of a rope's-end. We had been sailing on with light winds when one morning, after the decks had been washed down and the other duties of the ship performed, having run on for a short distance, we lay almost becalmed with the sea as smooth as a mill-pond.

I had just time to spring to the foot of the mainmast and grasp a rope's-end when down it thundered upon the deck, completely burying and overwhelming the schooner fore and aft, filling her decks to the rail, and sweeping forward with such irresistible power that my arms were almost torn from my sockets as I held on for dear life to the rope I had grasped.

As it was, they both had a very narrow escape, for Bob in his haste had omitted to take a rope's-end with him, and had consequently no means of returning inboard, or rather, for the lee side of the deck was buried in the water, of regaining a place of safety. In this emergency Brook, who was a witness of the scene, acted in a very prompt and creditable manner.

They were not able to swim far, being incapable of much exertion; but the plunge alone and the immersion in the water while holding to the rope's-end refreshed them greatly, making them feel stronger, in addition to allaying their burning thirst.