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When a boat is not "plymmed," it leaks in all its seams, and is therefore looked upon as unsafe for these sub-Arctic waters by the more conservative amongst us. To stop a boat leaking you "chinch" the seams with oakum. Our fisherman sexton has just told me that "the church was right chinched last night." One by one our supplies are giving out or diminishing.
"To the devil with you, comrade Daniel!" responded Croustillac; "if you are as crazy as this before supper, what will you be when you have been drinking, our host?" "I ask no end of pardons, chevalier, for having made you balance things on your nose, and for having led you to chew oakum in order to spit fire during the voyage.
The colonel bit off the end of his cigar and contemplated the ceiling reflectively. "We can only wait and see what will happen," he said. "The odds are all in favour of our being raided." Pinto went pale. "Yes," said the colonel, talking to himself, "I guess this is our last day of freedom. Well, Pinto, I hope you can pick oakum." "Oh, shut up about oakum," growled the other; "it isn't a joke."
'You know the fellow who edits this paper, Joe? said Kearney, trembling with passion. 'No; my friend is doing his bit of oakum at Kilmainham. They gave him thirteen months, and a fine that he'll never be able to pay; but what would you do if the fellow who wrote it were in the next room at this moment? 'Thrash him within an inch of his life.
In the meantime, I could learn from his discourse that he did not intend to go to sea again with Captain Oakum, having, as he thought, been indifferently used by him during the last voyage.
We leaped into life again. A hulk came alongside, took our cargo, and then we went into dry dock to get our copper stripped. No wonder she leaked. The poor thing, strained beyond endurance by the gale, had, as if in disgust, spat out all the oakum of her lower seams. She was recalked, new coppered, and made as tight as a bottle. We went back to the hulk and re-shipped our cargo.
"Cuff, my doggie, don't wink in that idiotical way, you hanimated bundle of oakum! and don't wag yer tail so hard, else you'll shake it off some fine day! Well, Cuff, here you an' I are fixed `it may be for years, an' it may be for ever' as the old song says; so it behoves you and me to hold a consultation as to wot's the best to be done for to make the most of our sukumstances.
Then the sentinel, who heard our discourse on the poop was examined, and informed the court that the Welshman assured me, Captain Oakum and Doctor Mackshane would toss upon billows of burning brimstone in hell for their barbarity.
As I write I work opt the idea gasoline, balls of oakum, caps and gunpowder from a few cartridges, Roman candles, and flares blue, red, and green, shallow metal receptacles to carry the explosive and inflammable stuff; and a trigger-like arrangement by which, pulling on a string, the caps are exploded in the gunpowder and fire set to the gasoline-soaked oakum and to the flares and candles.
This I opened, and squeezed out about half a ounce of pus. Introduced a tent and applied oakum over both tents, for the purpose of absorbing the pus, and applied a compress over the main sinus or pouch, and a bandage over the whole lower part of the body. Feb. 17th, 9 A. M., pulse 96, temp. 99. Ordered a laxative of carbonate of magnesia. Both openings discharging very freely.
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