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Or look here, sir! how would it be to bring 'em a bit amidships, and let us begin right astarn, and build up a sort o' bulwark o' bales? They could fire from behind it when we'd done." "Yes, capital!" I cried, once more annoyed with myself because I, a mere boy, had not the foresight of an experienced man. "No, no," I cried the next moment. "How could we get at the tiller?"
I sprang to the bulwark, and there, sure enough, was the child, going fast astarn, but pretty high in the water. How it happened I can't think to this day, sir, but I suppose my needle, in the hurry, had got into my jacket, so as to skewer it to my jersey, for we were far south of the line at the time, sir, and it was cold.
He had done it once, Bill Jones said, "in one o' the splendidest countries goin', where gold was to be had for the pickin' up, and all sorts o' agues and rheumatizes for nothin'; but w'en things didn't somehow go all square, an' the anchor got foul with a gale o' adwerse circumstances springin' up astarn, why, wot then? go to sea again, of coorse, an' stick to it; them wos his sentiments."
Heavens and 'arth! ye don't mean to steer this sled with one toe, do ye, and that, too, the length of a rifle-barrel astarn? Wheel round, and spread yer legs out as ye orter, and steer this sled in an honest fashion, or there'll be trouble aboard afore ye git to the bottom." "Sit round!" retorted Bill. "How could I see to steer if I was sitting right back of you?
"I own it, sir; I own how wrong I was, and have been sorry for it ever since. But it's going right in the wind's eye, Mr. Woolston, to go ag'in captain and dickey!" "But, you now think you have heard breakers where away?" "Astarn first; then ahead; and, just as you called me up on the poop, sir, I fancied they sounded off here, on the weather bow." "Are you serious, Bob?"
"Pat threw one foot out astarn, like a skullin' oar, and then bent forrards like a hoop, and fetched the rifle slowly up to the line, and shot to the right eye. Chee, chee, chee, went the squirrel. He see'd it was wrong. 'By the powers! sais Pat, 'this is a left-handed boot, and he brought the gun to the other shoulder, and then shot to his left eye.
This was rather too arrogant to pass unnoticed, and I was about replying, that whatever doubts there might be on that subject, there could be none whatever that they were the most modest, when he continued "we 'go ahead'; the Nova Scotians 'go astarn. Our ships go ahead of the ships of other folks, our steamboats beat the British in speed, and so do our stage coaches; and I reckon a real right down New York trotter might stump the univarse for going ahead.
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