Arizona republican., 1899-02-12

'DO you call mat a neau on your
 shoulders, or blessed dead-eye? ?'' 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-v'yages, cap'ns, ships? Pipe up?
 What was it ?'
 We was a-talkin' of keel-hauling,' ,' answered Morgan.
 "kecl-hauling, was you? and mighty suitable thing, too. and you may lay to that. Get back to your place for Q lubber, Tom"
 And then, as Morgan rolled back to his seat, Silver added to me in confi- dential whisper, that was very 1atter- ing, as I thought:
 Hes quite an honest man, Tom Nor gan, only stupid. And now" he ran on again, aloud, let's see-Black Dog? No, don't know the name. not I. Yet I kind of think I'vc-yes, I've seen the swab. He used to come here with a blind beggar, he used"
 That he did, you may be sure,' said l. q knew that blind man, too. His name was Pcw.''
 Tt was!" cried Silver. now quite ex-
 
 certain. An, he looked shark. he did! If we run down this Black Dog, now. there'll be news for Capn Trelawney. Ben's q good runner; few seamen run better than Ben. He should run him down, hand over hand, by the powers! He talked O keel-hauling, did he? I'll keel haul him!'
 All the time he was jerking out these phrases he was stumping up and down the tavern on his crutch, skipping tables with his hand. and giving such q show of excitement as would have con vinccd an Old Bailey judge or a Bow street runner. My suspicious had been thoroughly reawakened on finding Black Dog at the Spyglass. and l watched the cook narrowly. But he was too deep, and too ready, and too clever for me, and by the time the two men had come back out of breath, and confessed that they had lost the track in a crowd and been scoldcd like | thieves. I would have gone bail for the | innocence of Long John Silver.
 "Sec here, now, Hawkins" said he, ! there's a blessed hard thing on man like me now, ain't it? There's Cap'n |. Trelawney-what's he to think? Here | I have this confounded son of a Dutch man sitting in my own house, drinking | of my own rum! Here you comes and | tells me of it plain; and here I let him give us all the slip before my | blessed headlights. Now, Hawkins, you do me justice with the cap'n. You're lad, you are. but you're as smart as paint. I see that when you first came in. Now. here it is: What could l do. with this old timber I hobble on? When l was an \ E master mar iner I'd have come up alongside of him, hand over hand, and broached him to in a brace of old shakes, I would; and now"
 And then, all of a sudden, he stopped, and his jaw dropped as though he had something.
 The scoTc." he burst out. "Threc goes O rum! Why, shiver my tim bers, if l hadn't forgotten my scorc!" !
 And, falling On bench, he laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks. l could not help joining; and we together, peal after peal until the tavern rang again.
 Why, what precious old sea-calf am!" he said, at last, wiping his l checks. You and me should get on 7 well, Hawkins, for I'll take my davy z I should be rated ships boy. But. come, now, stand by to go about. This won't do. Dooty is dooty, messmates. I'll put on my old cooked hat. and step < .long of you to Capn Trelawney, and r 'eport this here affair. For, mind you, T it's serious, young Hawkins; and I neither you nor mes come out of it ( with what l should make so bold as to I eall credit. Nor you, neither, says you; not smart-none of the pair of us smart. But dash my buttons! that was a good un about my score" r And he began to laugh again, and | hat so heartily that, though I did not zee the joke as he did, 1 was again l bliged to join him in his mirth. On our little walk along the quays, = le made himself the most interesting telling me about the diff : erent ships that we passed by, their N ig, tonnage, and nationality, explain ng the work that was going forward how one was discharging, another P aking in cargo, and a third making eady for sea; and every now and then cling me some little anecdote of ships r Seamen, or repeating nautlcal hrase till I had learned it perfectly. z began to see that here was one of the est of possible shipmates. NJ When we got to the inn, the squire nd Dr. Livesey were seated together, nishing a quart of ale with a toast = l it, before they should go aboard ne schooner on a visit of inspection. Long John told the story from first } last, with a great deal of spirit and le most perfect truth. 'That was how were, now, weren't it, Hawkins ?'' g would say, now and again, and l, -- ould always bear him entirely out. ! The two gentlemen regretted that lack Dog had got away; but we all greed there was nothing to be done, ld after he had been complimented, ono .Inhn tnnlz I'D his crIItch and le-