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


"You're quite sure of that? Might it not have been the part of the fish near the tail, now, that struck you, or the fin just under the tail?" "No; I'm quite sartin sure it warn't that." "How are you so sure it wasn't that?" "Because whales hain't got no fins just under their tails!" replied Scroggles, with a broad grin.

Ailie merely yawned during all these proceedings; said, "Dear me! is it time to yeaow! oh, I'm so sleepy;" mumbled something about papa wondering what had become of Jim Scroggles, and about her being convinced that "yeaow! the ship must have lost itself among the whales and monkeys;" and then, dropping her head on the leopard-skins with a deep sigh of comfort, she returned to the land of Nod.

"Oh, then you did not see the drogue attached to the whale?" said Mr Tooth, with a glance at the jury; "and you were so taken up with the anticipated fight, I suppose, that you scarcely gave your attention to the whale at all! Were the other men in your boat in a similarly unobservant condition?" "Eh?" exclaimed Scroggles. "Were the other men as eager for the fight as you were?"

"I votes for Cap'en Dunning," exclaimed Gurney. "So does I," cried Jim Scroggles; who, being somewhat weather-cockish in his nature, turned always with wonderful facility to the winning side. "Three cheers for the cap'en," cried Dick Barnes, suiting the action to the word. Almost every voice joined in the vociferous cheer with which this proposal was received.

Seeing this, and feeling, no doubt, the momentous truth of that well-known adage "Now or never," Master Jacko uttered a shriek, bounded from his position of fancied security, and seized Jim Scroggles firmly by the hair, resolved apparently to live or perish along with him. As to simply clambering along that cable to the shore. Jacko would have thought no more of it than of eating his dinner.

Once, in an unguarded moment, it accepted and chewed a small piece of tobacco; after which it made a variety of entirely new faces, and became very sick indeed so sick that its adopted mother began to fear she was about to lose her child; but after vomiting a good deal, and moaning piteously for several days, it gradually recovered, and from that time entertained an unquenchable hatred for tobacco, and for the man who had given it to him, who happened to be Jim Scroggles.

The land breeze had fallen, and there was scarcely any sound to break the surrounding stillness except the lipping water as it kissed the black hull of the ship. A dim, scarce perceptible light rendered every object on board mysterious and unaccountably large. "Wot a night for a ghost story," observed Jim Scroggles, who stood with a group of the men, who were seated on and around the windlass.

In order to cross the swamp, Jim Scroggles had to leap from root to root a feat which, although difficult, he would have attempted without hesitation. But Jim was agitated at that particular moment. His step was uncertain at a time when the utmost coolness was necessary. At one point the leap from one root to the next was too great for him.

Now, I calls it splendiferous." Scroggles looked round at his comrades, as if to appeal to their judgment as to the fitness of the word, but not receiving any encouragement, he thrust down the glowing tobacco in his pipe with the end of his little finger, and reiterated the word "splendiferous" with marked emphasis. "Did ye ever see that word in Johnson?" inquired Gurney.

Jacko's ruling passion was thieving; but having, at that time, no particular inducement to steal, he indulged his next ruling passion that of affection by holding out both arms, and staggering towards Phil Briant to be taken up. A renewed burst of laughter greeted this movement. "It knows ye, Phil," cried Jim Scroggles. "Ah! then, so it should, for it's meself as is good to it.