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Updated: June 11, 2025
In young Dick Hewitt he had a captain to his mind: soap and tidiness and punctuality, and oil and rotten-stone for the very gun-swivels; all the crew touching caps, and nerve and seamanship on top of all. Jacka admired the young spark, for all his boastfulness; for his own part he could do anything with a ship but keep her tidy.
But, whatever he sang out, Jacka paid no attention; for by this time his own one eye had told him all he wanted to know, and a trifle more; and he clutched at the wheel for a moment like a man dazed. Then, I believe, a sort of heavenly joy crept over his face, mixed with a sort of heavenly cunning. "Call up the crew," he ordered. "I'm going to put her about. The whole crew every man-Jack of them!"
Cap'n Jacka, however, thought less of the sea that was working up into a nasty lop than of the weather, which turned thick and hazy as the wind veered a little to west of south. But even this didn't trouble him much.
So Jacka hadn't more than a dozen prisoners to look after, and prepared for a comfortable little homeward trip. "I'll just cruise between this and Jersey," said Cap'n Dick; "and at the week-end, if there's nothing doing, we'll put back for home and re-ship you."
I like fresh air as a rule, but for once in a while I don't mind bein' squoze; and, as lazarettes go, yours ought to be nice and roomy." "You shall have a bottle of Hollands for company," promised Captain Cornelisz. So the hatch was pulled up, and down Jacka crept and curled himself up in the darkness.
Well, to make my story short, Jacka stepped on board and found the Dutch skipper monstrous polite and accommodating, though terrible sleepy, the reason being that, his mate falling sick at Kingston of the yellow fever, he had been forced to navigate his vessel home single-handed.
Job, nodding down, but bottling up his anger after a fashion. "Look here, Captain Tackabird, you're a servant of the company; and I'll trouble you to stand up and behave respectful when the company's agent pays you a visit of inspection." "Cert'nly, Mr. Job." Jacka scrambled up to his feet as mild as milk. "Beg your pardon, sir, I thought you'd just strolled down to pass the time of day."
"Up riding the hobby-horses, I b'lieve," answered Jacka, as friendly as you please. "And in thirty-six hours you've engaged to have the Pride ready for sea!" "She's about ready now," said Jacka, stopping to put a peppermint in his mouth. He had bought a packet off one of the sweet-standings, and spread it on the deck beside him.
The long and short of it was that, inside the hour the dozen Frenchmen were free, and Cap'n Jacka and his men in their place, ironed hand and foot; and the Bean Pheasant working back to France again with a young gentleman of the French navy aboard in command of her. But 'tis better be lucky born, they say, than a rich man's son.
Katie Jacka, her colour more set than it had been when she witnessed that marriage eight years ago, was as emotional as ever, her facile feelings only restrained at all by her husband's rigid taciturnity, even as her high bosom was kept up by the stiffest of "temberan busks" a piece of wood which, like all self-respecting Cornishwomen, she wore thrust inside the front of her stays.
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