Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-06-26

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"By the powers, Tom Morgan, it's us
good for you'll" exclaimed the landlord.
IF you had been mixed up with the
like of that, you would never have put
another foot in my house. you may lay
TO that. And what was he saying to
your"
81 don't rightly know, sir" answered
Morgan.
"Do you call that head 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?"
ave was a-tollin' of keel-hauling,"
answered Morgan.
"Keel-hauling, was you? and mighty
suitable thing, too, and you may lay to
that. Get back to your place for a
lubbcr. Tom"
And then, as Morgan rolled back TO
his seat, Silver added to me in conf
Dental whisper, that was very fatter-
ing, as l thought:
"IIe's quite an honest man, Tom Nor
gan. only stupid And now" he ran on
gain. aloud, "1et's setback Dog?
No, I don't know the name, not ]. Yet
kind of think I've-yes, I've seen the
swab. He used to come here with
blind beggar, he used"
THAT he did, you may be sure" said
I. 81 knew that blind man, too. His
name was Pew"
"1t was!" cried Silver, now quite ex-
cited. "Pew! That were his name for
certain. All, he looked n shark, he did!
If we run down this Black Dog, now,
therell be news for Cap'n Trelawneyl
Ben's good runner; few seamen run
| better than Ben. lie 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
tables with his hand. and giving such a
show of excitement as would have con-
vinced an Old Bailey judge or Bow
street runner. Ny 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 scolded like
thieves, l would have gone bail for the
innocence of Long John Silver.
"See here, now, Hawkins" said he
"here's a blessed hard thing on man
like me now, amt it? There's Cap'n
Trelawney-what's he to think? Here
! have this COMPOUNDED son of Dutch
man sitting in my own house, drinking
of my own rum! Here you comes anc
tells me of it plain; and here l lei
him give us all the slip before my
blessed dead-lights! Now, Hawkins
you do me justice with the cap'n
You're a lad, you are, but you're as
smart as paint. / see that when yol
first came in. Now, here it is: What
could l do, with this old timber / hobbll
on? When l was an \ b master mar
liner I'd have come up alongside of him
hand over hand, and preached him tC
in brace of old shakes, would; ant
now"
And then, all of a sudden, he stopped
and his jaw dropped as though he hat
remembered something.
The scorel" he burst out. "Thret
goes O. rum! Why, SILVER my tim
bers, if hadn't forgotten my score.
And, falling on a bench, he laughed
until the tears ran down his cheeks
l could not help joining; and w
laughed, together, peal after peal, unit
the tavern rang again.
"Why, what precious old sea-cal
ami" he said, at last, wiping hi
cheeks. You and me should get OF
well, Hawkins, for I'll take my dav.
should be rated ships boy. But
come, now, stand by to go about. Thi
won't do. Dooty is dooty, messmates
I'll put on my old cooked hat and ste
, along of you to Cap'n Irelawney, ant
report this here affair. For, mind you
. it's serious, young Hawkins; an
neither you nor mes come out OF
! with what | should make so bold as t
call credit Nor you, neither, says you
not smart-none of the pair of us smart
But dash my buttonsl that was goo
'un about my score"
And he began to laugh again, an
that so heartily that, though did no
see the joke as he did, | was agai
obliged to join him in his mirth.
On our little walk along the quay'
he made himself the most interestin
companion, telling me about the dill
ferent ships that we passed by, thei
rig, tonnage, and nationality, explain
ing the work that was going forwar
how one was discharging, anothe
taking in cargo, and third maxim
ready for sea; and every now and the
telling me some little nnecdote of ship
or seamen, or repeating nautict
phrase till I had learned 1t perfectly
/ began to see that here was one of tn
best of possible shipmates.
When we got to the inn, the SPUR
and Dr. Livesey were seated togethe
finishing a quart of ale with toas
in it, before they should go aboar
the schooner on a visit Of inspection.
Long John told the story from fir'
!, TO last, with a great deal of spirit an
y the most perfect truth. "That was ho'
j.. it were, now, weren't it, Hawkinsf
g he would say. now and again, and