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Updated: May 26, 2025
"Why, I suppose he'll fetch the land one of these days, and then, if he can't sail over it, like the Yankee flat-bottomed crafts, which draw so little water that they can go across the country, when the dew is on the grass in the morning, we shall come up with him," replied Togle, with great gravity. "I wonder you can joke about it, Togle," said Duff.
I thought so; she's in chase of a small boat under sail, just a-head of her Mr Togle, go aloft with a glass, and see what you can make out. I can distinguish little more than the upper leech of the sail; and were it not so calm, even that could not be seen." Togle hailed from aloft, to say that there was certainly a boat a-head of the stranger.
"I can prove, though, that I speak the truth," exclaimed Jemmy, who saw the day turning against him. "Any one of you go and ask Mr Saltwell. He heard it from the captain, I tell you." "No, no," put in Togle. "Punishment first and proof afterwards. That's the way the Turks manage, and they are sensible people.
"He says he'll bet you he'll dive to the bottom and be back again sooner than you will, Togle. So overboard with you, and show him he's wrong," said Duff, trying to heave over his messmate.
Luckily Duff, as he could not save his own coin, had managed to seize a shilling from Togle, which served to attract the attention of the one who was furthest from the great prize, and both of them came up to the surface an instant afterwards, with the pieces of money in their hands. "Me for dive, signor me for dive," they both again sung out, hoping to get another coin from Raby.
The three mids of the Ione Jack Raby, Duff, and Togle were on the poop leaning over the quarter-rail, and amusing themselves by discussing affairs in general, and watching the panorama round them, when a boat with two thin, slight lads pulled out of the dockyard creek. "He for dive, signor," sung out one of them, looking up at our mids.
"Huzza, my lads!" he exclaimed, whisking round his cap, and letting it come down over the eyes of Togle, another youngster of his own standing, who was reeling after the fatigue of furling sails, and eating his dinner, "Old England for ever! Who'll bet that we shan't be kissing our sweethearts at home this day six weeks?" "Why, what do you mean?" cried several, looking up.
By the by, did you ever hear of the big fellow they keep in Port Royal harbour to do the duty of guard-boat? Not a man dares swim on shore when big Tom is on duty, and he never takes a snooze they say." "You don't mean to say so," said Togle, "but how do they manage to keep him there?"
"Who'll take my bet?" replied Duff. "Why, I will," answered Togle, who did not like being disturbed, clearing his head at the same time from the cap. "I will, because I don't think such an ugly-looking chap as you are can have a sweetheart to kiss." Whereon he got the cap pressed down harder than before, with his nose in a slop of rum-and-water on the table.
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