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As they approached one nudged the other, and, looking at Uncle Jack, exchanged a few words. They would have passed us, when he, having noticed this, hailed them "What cheer, my hearties, have we ever sailed together?" "Can't say exactly, sir, for we've knocked about at sea so long that it's hard to mind all the officers we've served under.
"Aye, aye, sir," came from Alf and Bob. "Hoist the jib, my hearties," cried the Captain, as the anchor came up. "Keep her head for the old church tower, Walter. There steady, steady." The Captain and Drake now secured the anchor, and the next order given was "Now, Alf, another pull on your main halliards. Get them well up. All right? Make fast."
An unhappy, tattered, moping row of them sat along dolefully on the gun-deck, like a parcel of crest-fallen buzzards, exiled from civilized society. "Cheer up, lads," said Israel, in a jovial tone, "homeward-bound, you know. Give us a seat among ye, friends." "Oh, sit on your head!" answered a sullen fellow in the corner. "Come, come, no growling; we're homeward-bound. Whoop, my hearties!"
"Come, come, Bob, never say die; one trial more; it was the braces that spoiled it that time. Now then, cheerily ho! my hearties, heave-yo-hee-o-HOY!" The united force applied this time was so great that we tore asunder all the fastenings of the leg at one wrench, and Jack and I suddenly shot straight up, as if we had been discharged from a hole in the ground.
"Heave, my hearties, heave hard!" With a jerk and a yerk, we broke ground; and up to our bows came several thousand pounds of old iron, in the shape of our ponderous anchor. Where was White-Jacket then? White-Jacket was where he belonged. It was White-Jacket that loosed that main-royal, so far up aloft there, it looks like a white albatross' wing.
"All hands, up anchor, ahoy!" roared old Peaks, piping a blast which seemed to come from the breath of a north-wester, while the leading spirits were counselling meekness and submission. "What does that mean?" demanded the astonished Perth. "O, nothing! Only we are going to have another anchorage," replied Herman. "Lively, my hearties," said the boatswain, as he stepped forward into the waist.
"Stand him on his head," spoke some one at the rear of the tent. "Pass him along this way, my hearties, and we'll take a reef in his dry goods," cried out someone else. "We won't do a thing to him," chipped in a third humorist in the center of the tent. The tent was convulsed with laughter and merriment had full swing.
"Come out, my hearties, and give an account of yourselves." Saying this, he began to drag towards the companion-ladder one of the men; I following his example with regard to the other. "Why, Jim, we ain't got in yet; so let us alone, will ye," grunted out one, as he turned on his side, without opening his eyes.
'Ave it out fair! Joe Mawks 'll stand by and see fair game. Fire away, my hearties! fire, fire away!" And, with a chuckling idiot laugh, he dived into the pocket of his torn corduroy trousers and produced a pipe.
Billy was on his feet in an instant, shaking the snow off as a dog shakes off water. “Why, Billy, you look like a snow-man,” Maida laughed. “I feel like one,” Billy said, wiping the snow from his eyes and from under his collar. “But don’t be discouraged, my hearties, up with it again. I’ll be more careful the next time.”
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