The Buccaneer - A Tale

"There, boy," said the Goliath, "take it easy, and talk reason about the

ship, and talk the reason reasonably, and I'll join ye; but Spring has a

dash o' poetry about him--I think it's called poetry:--verse-making and

verse-thinking, that never did anything in the way of ship-building or

ship-saving since the world was a world, that I know. Now look, lads;

here's a man-a-war, a heavy, sluggish thing, whose guns could take no

effect on the Fire-fly, because their shot would go right over her, and

only anger the waters. Her long boats, to be sure, could do the

business; but she has no more than two and the captain's gig a-board--as

I heard this morning at Queenborough. The evening is closing, and

neither of the other ships--whose slovenly rigging wants Blake's

dressing--hae any guns a-board to signify."

"Ay," said another, "so much for our near neighbours: what say you to

our farther ones, at t'other side the island--just at the entrance to

the Mersey?"

"Say!" said Springall, "why, that they could be round in less than no

time if they knew who's who."

"Which they do by this: what else would bring the steel caps, and the

Devil himself amongst us? besides, there's others off the coast, as well

as we. Do you think old red-nosed Noll would come here about a drop of

blood--a little murder, that could be settled at the 'sizes? There's

something brooding in another direction, that 'ill set his hot blood

boiling: but as it's purely political, all honest men, who have the

free-trade at heart, will keep clear of it. May be he's heard the report

that black-browed Charlie's thinking of pushing on this way,--though I

don't believe it; it's too good to be true: it would soon make us tune

up 'Hey for Cavaliers!' and bring the old days back again."

"But let us," chimed in Springall--"let us keep clear of every thing of

the sort till our ship's safe. Why, in half an hour they might split her

spars as small as jack-straws!"

"Which they won't, I think; because, if they know who she is, they know

her cargo's safe--where Noll himself can't get at it, unless he drags

the cellars--and the stomachs too, by this time--of half his

prayer-loving subjects along the Kent and Essex coast."

"Stuff, stuff! every enemy destroyed is a shade nearer safety," said

Springall; "and Noll knows it."

"That's well said, Spring," replied Jack, winking on his companion; "and

I'll tell you what's true, too, shall I?"