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Then, in a lull, P-'s protesting innocence would become audible: "She seems to stand it very well." And then another burst of an indignant voice: "Any fool can carry sail on a ship " And so on and so on, the ship meanwhile rushing on her way with a heavier list, a noisier splutter, a more threatening hiss of the white, almost blinding, sheet of foam to leeward.
The next day we made only three miles to Mr. P-'s station. There we unloaded the dray, greased it, and restored half the load, intending to make another journey for the remainder, as the road was very bad. One dray had been over the ground before us. But during the interval that elapsed between our getting into the swampy creek and getting out of it a great change had come over the weather.
Knowing him to be at P-'s, I set the men to their contract, and went down next day to see him and to offer him any compensation for the loss of his hut which a third party might arrange. I could do nothing with him; he threatened fiercely, and would hear no reason. My only remedy was to go down to Christ Church at once and buy the freehold of the site from the Government.
There is nothing like the fearful inclination of your tall spars overloaded with canvas to bring a deaf man and an angry one to their senses. So sail did get shortened more or less in time even in that ship, and her tall spars never went overboard while I served in her. However, all the time I was with them, Captain S- and Mr. P- did not get on very well together. P-'s desperate goings on.
I'd write you a letter to Tom, only he'll certainly make you out without my taking the trouble." I did think at the time that the old baronet might have written the letter for me, as he had been a friend of my father's in former days; but he did not, and I started for Ballyglass with no other introduction to any one in the county than that contained in Sir P-'s promise that I should soon know Mr.
"What! a friend of Sir P-'s? Why the deuce didn't you tell me so? What are you doing down here? Where are you staying?" &c. &c. &c. At Poulnaroe we found a fox, but before we did so Mr. O' Conor had asked me over to Castle Conor. And this he did in such a way that there was no possibility of refusing him or, I should rather say, of disobeying him.
If we knew but how to collect them, said I, making him a low bow. I could never have been invited to Mons. P-'s concerts upon any other terms. I had been misrepresented to Madame de Q- as an esprit. Madame de Q- was an esprit herself: she burnt with impatience to see me, and hear me talk.
P-'s deafness, I have seen some memorable carrying on to make a passage. And I have carried on myself upon the tall spars of that Clyde shipbuilder's masterpiece as I have never carried on in a ship before or since. The second mate falling ill during the passage, I was promoted to officer of the watch, alone in charge of the deck.
These are quite sufficient to account for the volume of water in the Rangitata, without going any farther. We spent a few minutes with these men, among whom was a youth whom I had brought away from home with me, when I was starting down for Christ Church, in order that he might get some beef from P-'s and take it back again.
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