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The cook gave a sharp glance round. "What's the matter?" I asked. "I don't seem to like to talk about him, sir," he whispered. "He never forgets anything, and never forgives anybody. I wouldn't say a word against him for worlds." "I don't ask you to," I said; "I only asked you why Mr Walters was shut up in the cable-tier?" "Jarette don't like him, sir.
They were going to get the doctor to find the stuff to send all the lads to sleep, and then they were going to open the hatch and shove Jarette by himself, and the others some in the cable-tier and some in the hold." "Yes, yes!" cried the cook, eagerly, while I listened hard. "Well then, that warmint yonder said it ought to be put in the soup, and so they settled it.
On board the flagship coming home I had been chained down in the cable-tier a place where I could feel every straining of the great ship. Once these had risen to a pandemonium, a frightful tumult. There was a great gale outside. A sailor came down with a lanthorn, and tossed my biscuit to me. "You d d pirate," he said, "maybe it's you saving us from drowning." "Is the gale very bad?" I had called.
I attempted to take the Irish half-crown out of his mind by comparing some of Dryden’s passages with the others, and he was as much convinced as a cable-tier coiling and stowing-hold officer is generally capable of being, that the “Dry” poetry was the best.
For my part I fully expected that if we poured in much more the ship would become unsafe; and when I descended into the forecastle and cable-tier in turn, I thought the water would be a couple of feet deep on the floor. But there was no sign of a drop.
As soon as we were below the deck, our arms were released, and we were able to help ourselves down the narrow ladder which led into the cable-tier. Here, in a space which allowed us room only to sit with our knees together, without being able to stand up or walk about, the mate told us we were to remain.
I want to understand how we are placed, and I can't quite make it out yet." "Well, sir, p'r'aps I can help you a bit," said Bob. "Seems to me as they pulled up a hatch and pitched us in, and then battened it down again." "And where are our friends?" "Why, they'd shove 'em where we shoved they, down in the forksle, I should say, unless they've stuffed 'em in the cable-tier."
"It's all right," I said; "there's some one in the cable-tier a prisoner, and as it must be some one of our lads he is of course afraid. Oughtn't I to run to Mr Brymer?"
"There is a small keg of powder in the cable-tier, get that in the saloon too; and in the locker in my cabin you'll find some big cartridges and shot. Everything is there. Do you think you can load and prime the cannon?" He pointed as he spoke to the small brass gun, used for signalling when going into port.
"Sink the sea!" cried a forecastle man. "Once more ashore, and you'll never again catch old Boombolt afloat. I mean to settle down in a sail-loft." "Cable-tier pinchers blister all tarpaulin hats!" cried a young after-guard's-man; "I mean to go back to the counter."
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