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It was either in the year ninety-three or ninety-four that I was in the Channel fleet: we were then abreast of Torbay " "Here be the hot water, sir," cried Jem, putting the kettle down on the deck. "Very well, boy. By-the-bye, has the jar of butter come on board?" "Yes, but it broke all down the middle. I tied him up with a ropeyarn." "Who broke it, sir?" "Coxswain says as how he didn't."
As for the other, Nicholls had spoken of him as "the bo'sun;" and he looked it an elderly man, of burly build no doubt when in health, straightforward and honest as the day, and a prime seaman; "every finger a fish-hook, and every hair a ropeyarn."
"Scaldings! out of the road all of us that's got thin skulls," continued he, as the shot came skipping across the water in such long bounds as showed we were within range. "Well missed!" added he, as the shot struck the water close to us, and bounded fairly over the boat, passing close beneath the main-boom and the foot of the mainsail, without injuring so much as a ropeyarn.
The pirates opened the ball by giving us their whole larboard broadside while we were in stays, tacking toward them; but the guns were fired hurriedly, and did us no harm, the shot flying high over us and between our masts, without touching so much as a ropeyarn.
Locks and keys were forbidden among them, as they are forbidden in ship's fo'c's'les to this day; for every man was expected to show that he put trust in his mates. A man caught thieving from his fellow was whipped about the ship by all hands with little whips of ropeyarn or of fibrous maho bark. His back was then pickled with some salt, after which he was discharged the company.
We must have punished her very severely indeed, for all that we got in reply was one solitary gun fired out of her stern port, which did no damage; and a quarter of an hour later we were out of her reach and not a ropeyarn the worse for our encounter.
Now, I entertain a greater regard for the shortest ropeyarn aboard this ship, than for the topsail-sheets or best bower of any other vessel. It is like a man's loving his own finger, or toe, before another person's.
It was either in the year ninety-three or ninety-four, that I was in the Channel fleet we were then abreast of Torbay " "Here be the hot water, sir," cried Jem, putting the kettle down on the deck. "Very well, boy by-the-bye, has the jar of butter come on board?" "Yes, but it broke all down the middle; I tied him up with a ropeyarn." "Who broke it, sir?" "Coxswain says as how he didn't."
"Ay, ay, sor; faith and I do that same," replied the man. And with ready officiousness he bustled out of the galley and, walking aft, to the spot where Hampton was lashed up, thrust his hand unceremoniously into the man's trousers pocket, withdrew a bunch of keys secured together upon a ropeyarn, and offered them to Leslie. Dick looked at them as they lay in the fellow's hand.
No man can be idle on board ship, and if a man thinks that he can sit on a cask all day at sea, kicking his heels against it, he will soon find out his mistake. There is always work to be done about the masts or spars or rigging, while there is no end of ropeyarn to be spun at all odd hours. The two boys I have spoken of were Toby Potts and Bill Sniggs.
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