United States or Comoros ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !


"Lord love ye, 'tis the dark and the curst reek o' this place, pal come aloft, all's bowmon, the fine folk han't found their sea-legs yet, nor like to while this wind holds, Mart'n so come aloft wi' Godby."

"Why, Mart'n why, pal, here's j'y, scorch me wi' a port-fire else!" quoth he, then, hearing a hail from the beach, rolled away to look to his many duties.

So here stand I this day not only gunner but master's mate beside of as tight a ship, maugre the crew, as ever sailed and all along o' that same chance meeting at the 'Hop-pole." "And though a friend of Bym you knew little of Adam Penfeather?" "Little enough, Mart'n.

"Aye and t'other 'un the Spanish dame as you come up a-cuddling of, Mart'n and a notable fine piece she be, as I'm a gunner " "Is my lady on deck?" "Which on 'em, pal?" "Joan, man my Lady Brandon!" "Aye, and mighty downcast by her look. 'Godby, says she to me a while back, 'if I find not my father now, I do think my poor heart will break! And the sweet sad eyes of her, pal "

Says I, last night she was fair to be seen having closed us during the day, so out go our lights and up goes our helm and we stand away from her. At dawn she was nowhere and yet here she is again if yon ship be the same." "Which we shall learn in an hour or so, Godby." "Aye, Mart'n, if she don't smell us a-coming and bear away from us.

I questioned, reaching the ale he had brought. "What talk is this of ghosts?" "What's yon?" he whispered, starting up, as a rustling sounded beyond the door. "Mere rats, man!" "Lord love ye, Mart'n," says he, glancing about him, "'tis a chancy place this. I don't know how ye can abide it." "I've known worse!" said I. "Then ye don't believe in spectres, Mart'n ghosts, pal, nor yet phantoms?"

Aha, 'twas a mortal good hour for me when we first struck hands, Mart'n." "And you're more than quits, Godby, by saving me from the fire " "Why, pal, you fell all of a swound, d'ye see, and there's my Lady Brandon and t'other 'un a-running to fetch ye, flames or no so what could I do " "My lady Joan?"

"Ha!" says Godby, venting huge sigh, "there's to be no play for my guns this day, Mart'n." "Nay but," says I, mighty perplexed, "what's come of her? She could never have marked our change of course at the distance and 'twas black dark beside, and we bore no lights." "Mayhap she smelt us, pal, as I said afore. Howbeit, 'tis beyond me, cram me wi' rope-yarn else!"

But here's me wi' a fine stocked farm t'other side Lamberhurst and, what's more, a wife in't as be sister to Cecily as you'll mind at the 'Hoppole' and, what's more, a blessed infant, pal, as I've named Tom arter myself, by reason that my name is God-be-here, and Mart'n arter you, by reason you are my pal and brought me all the good fortun' as I ever had.

"You've slept, Mart'n, a full thirty hours." "Thirty hours, Godby?" "Split me crosswise else, pal!" "Mighty strange!" says I, reaching for the flask he had brought, for I felt my mouth bitterly parched and dry, while, added to the consuming thirst, my head throbbed miserably. "Well, here we be, pal, clear o' the river this twelve hours and more. And, Mart'n, this is a ship aye, by hokey, a sailer!