Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1923-10-26
PART II
The Sea Cook

sit was!" cried Silver, now quit
excited. "Pew! That was his nam
for certain. All, he looked a shark
he did! If we run down this Blacl
Dog now, there'll be news for Cap'l
Trelawney. Ben's a good runner
few seamen run better than Ben. II,
should run him down, hand owe,
hand, by the powers! He talked o
keel-hauling, did he? I'll keel-hau
him!"
All the time he was jerking out
these phrases he was stamping III
and down the tavern on his crutch
slapping tables with his hand, and
giving such show of excitement as
would have convinced an Old Bailey
judge or a Bow Street runner. My
suspicious had been thoroughly re-
awakened on finding Black Dog at
the Spy-Glass, and / 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 con-
fessed that they had lost the track in
a crowd and been scolded like thieves
l would have gone bail for the limo
CeHCt Ol Lung JOuu ollNeT.
''See here, now, Hawkins" said he,
there's a blessed hard thing on a
man like me, now, amt it? There's
Cap'n Trelawney - whats he to
think? Here l have this COMPOUNDED
son of a Dutchman sitting in my own
house, drinking of m yown rum!
Here you comes and tells me of it
plain; and here let him give us all
the slip before my blessed dead
lightsl Now, Hawkins, you do me
justice with the cap'n. You're a
lad, you are, but you're smart as
paint. see that when you first came
in. Now, here it is: What could |
do, with this old timber / hobble on?
When / was an A B master mariner
I'd have come alongside of him, hand |
over hand, and preached him to in |
a brace of old shakes, l would; and |
And then. all of a sudden, he
stopped, and his jaw dropped as
though he had remembered some
thing.
The score!" he burst out. "Three
goes o. rum; Why, shiver my tim
bers, If l hadn't forgotten my scorei"
And, falling on a bench, he
laughed until the tears ran down his
cheeks. could not help Joining,
and we laughed together, peal after
peal, until the tavern rang again.
What a precious old sea-calf l
ami" he said, at last, wiping his
'heeks. "You and me should get on
we'll, Hawkins, for I'll take my davy
should be rated a ships boy. But,
ome, now, stand by to go about. This |
Won't do Dooty is duty, messmates.
III put on my old cooked hat and
tep along of you to Cap'n Ire
awney, and report this affair For,
mind you, it's serious, young Haw-
Tins; and neither you or mes come j
nut of it with what / should make so
'old as to call credit Nor you
Ieither, says you; not smart-none S
4 the pair of us smart. But dash c
ny buttons! that was a good 'un S
bout my score" S
And he began to laugh again. and t
hat so heartily, that though did
ot see the joke as he did, l was t
gain obliged to join him in his
lirth.
On our little walk along the quays
e made himself the most interest Il
lg companion, telling me about the t
ifferent ships that we passed by,
heir rig, tonnage. and nationality, n
EXPLAINING the work that YVES going
)rward-how one was disCharging,
mother taking in cargo, and a third 8
taking ready for sea; and every now {
nd then telling me some little anee- n
ote of ships or seamen, or repeat I
lg a nautical phrase till l had a
armed it perfectly. | began to see h
lat here was one of the best of pos "
BILE shipmates. p
When we got to the inn, the squire o
nd the Doctor Livesey were seated Il
'gether, finishing a quart of ale b
18th toast in it, before they should Il
D aboard the schooner on a visit Sc
inspection.
Long John told the story from first
last, with a great deal of spirit, ."
as how it were, now, weren't it, re
awkins?" he would say, now and
sain, and / could always bear him to
ltirely out.
The two gentlemen regretted that &C
lack Dog had got away, but we all "
freed there was nothing to be done. tn
I'd after he had been eomplimented, W
ing John took up his crutch and is
parted. Il
"All hands aboard by four this
ternoon!" shouted the squire after SO
m.
AYE, aye. sir" cried the cook in tn
e passage.
Well, squire" said Doctor Live OF
y, Il don't put much faith in your
scoyeries, as a general thing, but / wv
III say this-John Silver suits me-" CO
That mans a perfect trump" de- ca
ired the squire. TT
And now" added the doctor, "Jim di
iy go on board with us, may he ia
t?' w,
TO be sure he may" said the ha
uire. Take your hat, Hawkins,
d well see the ship" ca
mi
CHAPTER TX Az