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Then a steward announced breakfast, and the mirage vanished. Captain Stump's greeting showed that his slumbers had not been disturbed by golden visions. "Mornin'," he said. "I've just bin tellin' Tagg." Seeing that his second officer was not enlightened by this remark he went on: "You'll want his help if I'm not alongside. Bless your 'eart, you can depend on Tagg. He'll never give you away.
And the human barometer showed the stress of life. Stump was a caldron in himself, Tagg a bewhiskered malediction in damp linen. The temper of the crew, stifling in crowded quarters, suggested that they were suffering from a plague of bolls. As a mere pastime, there was an occasional fight in the forecastle.
But Charlie Tagg 'ad got better things to do than to dream, and 'e sat up in bed arf the night thinking out a new plan he'd thought of to get that money. When 'e did fall asleep at last 'e dreamt of taking a little farm in Australia and riding about on 'orseback with the Sydney gal watching his men at work. In the morning he went and hunted up a shipmate of 'is, a young feller named Jack Bates.
"I've done with 'im for good," she ses, with a look at 'er mother. Jack Bates took up the money and the ring and stood there looking at 'er and trying to think wot to say. He'd always been uncommon partial to the sex, and it did seem 'ard to stand there and take all that on account of Charlie Tagg. "I only wanted my own," he ses, at last, shuffling about the floor. "Well, you've got it," ses Mrs.
Come on, Tagg, we'll have a tot o' rum an' drink to the rotten ole hulk which gev' us best ag'in that swaggerin' I-talian. My godfather, won't Becky be pleased when she hears of it!" And the two dived below to partake of the generous spirit which pays homage to the rising sun, while the Cigno bleated her distress to deaf ears.
But he was a polished man of the world, and he promptly extricated himself from a difficult position, though Royson, at least, detected the effort he was compelled to make. "I see you are thinking that one bottle does not go far among four of us, Mr. Tagg," he exclaimed, with a pleasantly patronizing air. "Kindly tell the steward to bring another, Mr. King. And some cigars.
While kneeling to pinion the footpad's arms behind his back, thus rescuing Tagg from a professor of the savate, Dick tried to guess von Kerber's motive in hurling such an extraordinary taunt after one of his runaway adversaries, and in French, too, whereas the other had an Italian name, and, in all likelihood, spoke only Italian.
P'r'aps my 'art ain't as black as my face," he ses, turning to Mrs. Cook. They was all so surprised at fust that they couldn't speak, but old Cook smiled at 'im and put the winder up agin. And Charlie Tagg sat there arf mad with temper, locking as though 'e could eat Jack Bates without any salt, as the saying is. "I I can't take it," he ses at last, with a stammer. "Can't take it?
At another time Irene would have hailed Tagg's subtle humor with glee, but there was an element of deadly earnest in the history of the past few hours that kept her strictly to the issue. "This Arab " she said, "was he a tall, good-looking man with a striped hood to his burnous, his outer cloak, you know?" "That's him," agreed Tagg. "More like a fellow you'd see at Tangier than in these parts.
We shall not be rocked to sleep by the wild waves to-night, I imagine." Stump joined Tagg on the bridge. He jerked a thumb after the Baron's retreating figure. "That German swab wants me to boot Royson," he muttered. "Boot Royson? The idee! Wot for?" "He piled it on thick about wot he called Royson's own interests, but I knew better'n that.
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