The Irish standard., 1897-10-09


Morgan.
''Do you call that head on your
shoulders, or Il blessed dcad-cyc?" cried
Long John. Don't rightly know. don't
you? Perhaps you don't happen to
rightly know who you was speaking to.
perhaps? Come now, what was he jaw
ing-y'yuges, cap'ns. ships? Pipe up?
What was it?"
1--WE was a-talliin' of kccl-hauling,"
answered Morgan.
'Kccl-hauling, was you? and n mighty
suitable thing, too, and You may lay to
that. Get back to your place for
lubber, Tom"
And then. as Morgan rolled back to
his seat, Silver added to me in conf
Dental whisper, that WAS very fatter-
ing, as | thought:
Hes quite an honest man. Tom Nor
gan, only stupid. And now" he ran on
again, aloud, LETS scc-Black Dog?
No, l don't know the name, not !. Yet
kind Of think Ive-yes, I've seen the
swab. lie used to come hero with
blind bcggar, he used"
THAT he did. you may be sure" said
i. II knew that blind man, too. His
name was Pew"
ut was!" cried Silver, now quite cx-
cited. "Pcw! That were his name for
certain. All. he looked shark. he did!
If we run down this Black Dog. now,
therc'll he news for Capn Trclnwncy!
Ren's good runner; few scuncn run
better than Ben. He should run him
down, hand over hand, by the powers!
llc talked o kccl-huuling, did he? I'll
keel haul him!"
All the time he was Jerking out these
phrases he was stamping up and down
the tavern on his crutch. slnpping
tables with his hand. and giving such Il
show of excitement rs would have con-
WINGED an Old Bailey Judge Or IL Bow
street runner. My suspicious had been
thoroughly rcawnkcncd on finding
Black Dog at the Spyglnss, and l
watched the cook narrowly. but no
was too deep. and too ready, and too
clover for me, and by the time the two
men had come back out of breath, and
confessed that they had lost the track
in crowd, and been scoltled like
thieves. l would have gone bail for the
innocence of Long John Silver.
'Scc here, now, Hawkins" said he,
"hcres blessed hard thing on man
like me now, amt il? There's Cap'n
Trelawney-whats he to think? Here
l have this COMPOUNDED son of II Dutch
man sitting in my own house, drinking
of my own ruml Here you comes and
tells me of it plain; und here let
him give us nll the slip before my
blessed dcadlights! Now, Hawkins,
you do me justice with the cnp'n.
You're n lad, you are, but you're as
smart rs paint. ] see that when you
first came in. Now, here it is: What
could do, with this old timber hobble
on? When l was un a Is master mar
iner I'd have come up alongside OF him,
hand over hand, and bronchcd him to
In brace of old shakes, would; and
now"
And then, nll Of IL sudden. he stopped,
and his jaw dropped as though he had
remembered something.
1.-The scorc!" he burst out "Thrce
goes o ruml Why, SILVER my tim
bcrs, if ! hadn't forgotten my score!"
And, falling on a bench, he laughed
until the tears ran down his checks.
] could not help joining; and we
laughed, together, peal after peal, until
the tavern RING again.
"Why, whit II precious old Sen-cnlt
l ami" he said, at last, wiping his
checks. "You and me should get on
well, Hawkins, for I'll tnkc my davy
should be rated ships boy. But.
come, now, stand by to go about. This
won't do. booty is dooty, mcssmntcs.
I'll put on my old cooked hat, and step
along Of you to Cnp'n Trclnwncy, and
report this here affair. For, mind you,
it's serious. young Hawkins; and
neither you nor mes come out of it
with what | should make so bold as to
call credit. Nor you, neither, says you;
not snartnonc of the pair Of MS smart.
But dush my buttonsl that was n good
'un about my score"
And he began to laugh again, and
that so heartily that, though ] did not
see the joke as he did, ! was again
Obliged to join him in his mirth
On our little ~nlk along tho quays.
companion, telling me about the diff
fcrent ships that we passed by, their
rig, tonnage, and nationality, eXplnin-
ing the work thut WIS going forward
how one was disclarging, another
tnIsing in cargo, and Il third making
ready for sea; and every now and then
telling me some little nncctlotc OF ships
or seamcn, or repeating II nautical
phrase till had learned it perfectly.
began to see that here was one of the
best Of possible shipmutcs.
When we got to the inn, the squire
and Dr. Liyescy were seated together,
finishing n quart of ale with Il toast
in it, before they should go aboard
the schooner on IL visit of inspection.
Long John told the story from first
to last, with a great deal of spirit and
the most perfect truth. "That was how
it were, now, weren't it, IInwkins?"
he would say, now and again, and
could always bear him entirely out.
The two gentlemen regretted that
Black Dog had got away; but we all
agreed there wns nothing to DO done,
and after he had lccn cnmplimentcd.
Long John took up his crutch and de-
parted.
"All hands aboard Ly four this after
noon." shouted the squire after him.
cay, ny, Sir" cried The cook. in the
passage.
well, squire" ca;d DR.. Liyescy, II
don't nut much fnith in WON. Iivcoyer,