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"An' why wouldn't you tell him?" said they to Barny. "Why, don't you see," said Barny, whose object was now to blind them, "don't you see, how do I know but maybe he might be goin' to the same place himself, and maybe he has a cargo of scalpeens as well as uz, and wants to get before us there." "True for you, Barny," said they. "By dad, you're right."
"Why, thin, indeed, in the regard o' that same we are in the hoighth o' distress, for exceptin' the scalpeens, sorra taste passed our lips for these four days." "O, you poor devils!" said the commander, in a tone of sincere commiseration, "I'll order you some provisions on board before you start." "Long life to your honor! and I'd like to drink the health of so noble a gintleman."
But that is neither here nor there, and it was all one to Barny whether his boat was freighted with potatoes or scalpeens, so long as he had the honor and glory of becoming a navigator, and being as good as O'Sullivan. Accordingly the boat was laden and all got in readiness for putting to sea, and nothing was now wanting but Barny's orders to haul up the gaff and shake out the jib of his hooker.
"It is not in these seas." "O, and that's all you know about it," says Barny. "You're a small craft to be so far at sea. I suppose you have provisions on board?" "To be sure we have; throth if we hadn't, this id be a bad place to go a beggin'." "What have you eatable?" "The finest o' scalpeens." "What are scalpeens?"
In four days more, however, the provisions in the hooker began to fail, and they were obliged to have recourse to the scalpeens for sustenance, and Barny then got seriously uneasy at the length of the voyage, and the likely greater length, for anything he could see to the contrary; and, urged at last by his own alarms and those of his companions, he was enabled, as the wind was light, to gain on the ship, and when he found himself alongside he demanded a parley with the captain.
"Why, you're mighty ignorant intirely," said Barny; "why, scalpeens is pickled mackerel." "Then you must give us some, for we have been out of everything eatable these three days; and even pickled fish is better than nothing."
Sure, an' it's lost they'd be only for our comin' acrass them, and we, through the blessin' o' God, enabled to do an act o' marcy, that is, feedin' the hungry; and sure every good work we do here is before uz in heaven, and that's a comfort anyhow. To be sure, now that the scalpeens is sowld, there's no use in goin' to Fingal, and we may as well jist go home."
In such a strait the arrival of Barny O'Reirdon and his scalpeens was a most providential succor to them, and a lucky chance for Barny, for he got in exchange for his pickled fish a handsome return of rum and sugar, much more than equivalent to their value.
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