Mother Carey's Chicken Part 16

"Look ye here, Mr Strong, sir, you'll do it. You come up with me and we'll go right up to the main-topgallant cross-trees to-morrow. I'll see as you don't fall."

"Oh, bother the climbing!" cried Mark. "I wish there wasn't a bit of rigging in the ship."

"But we couldn't get on without rigging, Mr Mark, sir," said the little sailor taking the impatient words literally. "See how them sails is spread. Rigging's a fine thing, sir; so's a ship. You be a sailor, sir, and when you're a skipper you have me for your bosun. I aren't so big as old Small, but I'd put a deal o' heart into it, and keep the men up to the mark."

"Oh, I shall never be a captain," said Mark impatiently.

"I don't know so much about that, sir. All the lads says as it was wonderful the way you went up after the rat."

"After the what!"

"Rat, sir. The lads calls that stowaway chap the rat because he made hisself a hole down in the cargo. Lor' a me, think of a thing like that calling hisself a man!"

"But he has been half starved, Billy, and kicked about in the world.

Perhaps if you'd been brought down as low you would have been as great a coward."

"Hah! I never thought o' that," said Billy scratching his head. "I say, Mr Mark, sir, how you do put things. But no, sir, you aren't right--leastwise not quite, you see; because if I'd been brought down like that, and felt as scared as he did, I wouldn't have let anyone know, fear o' being laughed at."

"You don't know and I don't know, so we can't discuss it," said Mark.

"Here, what are you going to do?"

"Ketch Master Jack and take him to his snuggery. He's a-getting into bad habits since your dog's come aboard, sir. Monkeys is a sooperior sort o' animal, and the men's been talking it over."

"Talking it over?"

"Yes, sir. They says as a monkey's next door to a man. Not as I thinks so."

"Then what do you think, Billy?"

"Oh, I think he lives several streets off, sir; but the men thinks tother, and they says as though it's all werry well for a monkey to play with a dog and be friends, just as a man might; it's going down hill like for him to make a habit o' sleeping in a dog-kennel."

"Nonsense! the monkey's happy enough with the dog."

"So was a mate o' mine with the Noo Zeeling savages, after cutting away from his ship; but our old skipper said he ought to be ashamed of hisself for going and living that way, and them beginning to tattoo him in a pattern. He said he was a-degrading of hisself, and fetched him aboard, saying as if he wanted tattooing some of his messmates should mark his back with a rope's end. No, sir, we thinks a deal o' that monkey--our crew does--and we don't want to see him go wrong."

"What stuff! My Bruff is quite as intelligent an animal as your monkey.

Suppose I said he should not a.s.sociate with the ugly brute?"

"No, no, sir: Jack aren't ugly," said Billy Widgeon in protest. "He aren't handsome, but no one can't say as he's ugly; while that dog--"

"Oh, he isn't handsome either, but it's absurd to draw the line between the two animals like that."

"Well, sir, I tell you what the men says; and they thinks a deal o'

Jacko, and looks after his morals wonderful. We do let him chew tobacco, though it don't agree with him, 'cause he will swaller it; but as to a drop o' rum, why, Old Greg nearly chucked a man overboard once for giving him a tot, and Small the boatswain stopped one chap's grog for a week for teaching Jack to drink. We thinks a deal of that monkey, sir."

"And I think a deal of my dog, and keep him a deal cleaner than Jack.

But I don't want them to be together. Take Jack away."

"Werry sorry, Mr Mark, sir. Mean no offence," said Billy apologetically; "but it's the men, sir. They think a deal o' that monkey."

Billy went forward with a chain and a strap to where a kennel had been made for Bruff, by turning a flour barrel on its side and wedging it between two hencoops, and here, greatly to the vexation of the chickens, who lived in dread of Jack's long hairy arm and clever fingers, which were always stretching through the bars to pull their feathers, the monkey had--to use Billy's words--"just turned in." The barrel held the two animals tightly, and there they were cuddled up together in the most friendly manner, Jack with his head right in towards the end, Bruff with his long black muzzle to the front, and Jacko's tail moving up and down in regular motion as he breathed.

"Here! you've got to come home," cried Billy, making a dash at the monkey's legs, but he started back as quickly as he went forward, for Bruff sprang up, and, twitching his ears, burst into a furious fit of barking, while Jack got behind him and chattered his defiance.

"Well, that's a rum game," said Billy, rubbing his nose with a rusty link of the chain he held; "think o' them two sticking up for one another like that."

"Now, then, which is the more intelligent animal?" said Mark, laughing.

"Well, sir, I dunno, but if so be as you'd take your dog away--"

"No," said Mark quietly, "I sha'n't interfere. The monkey's happier there than down in your stuffy forecastle."

"Which I won't deny as it is stuffy, sir, far from it," said Billy; "but when you get used to the smell you don't mind, and I'm sure Jack likes it. So call away your dog."

"No," said Mark, "you may get him away if you like."

"Well, if so be as I must, I must," said the little sailor. "The men says they wants Jacko, and--Lor' a me!"

As he spoke he had gone down on one knee to reach into the barrel and get hold of Jack's leg, but at the angry remonstrative cry of the monkey as he felt it seized, Bruff made so furious an attack upon the sailor that he started back and rolled over, to find Bruff spring upon his chest.

"Hold hard, mate; don't bite. I gives up," said Billy quietly. "Call him off, Mr Mark, sir."

But the lad had already caught the dog by the collar, and dragged him away growling.

Just then Jack sprang out of the barrel chattering loudly, and bounded toward the main hatchway. Bruff followed as if understanding the call, and as the monkey sprang down the dog leaped after him, but did not descend the steps so cleverly as his quadrumanous friend, the fact being made plain to those on deck by a loud scratching and scuffling noise, followed by a heavy b.u.mp.

"That there's the dog," said Billy sitting up and scratching his ear.

"His head's too heavy for going down them steps nose fust. Think we can catch Jack now?"

"No, that you will not," said Mark, laughing at his companion's troubled face. "Did Bruff frighten you?"

"S'pose he did, sir. He made me feel mortal queer for a minute. But I s'pose he wouldn't bite. Here, they may fetch the monkey theirselves,"

he continued, rising slowly; "I shan't try no more; and if his manners is spylte by 'sociating with dogs it aren't my fault."

Billy Widgeon went forward toward the forecastle in his calm even-tempered way, and Mr Morgan, who had been looking on from the p.o.o.p-deck, came and joined Mark, to stand talking with him as they leaned over the side gazing up at the transparent starry sky, or down at the clear dark sea, while they listened to the rushing water as the great ship glided on under quite a cloud of canvas. The night was now dark, with the ship's sailing lanterns and the glow from the cabin-windows showing faintly and casting reflections upon the unruffled sea.

"Suppose we were to run on to another ship, Mr Morgan," said Mark at last, breaking a long silence. "What then?"

"If we kept such a bad look-out, and they did the same, most likely we should go to the bottom, perhaps both of us; but you turn in and leave all that to the watch."

CHAPTER TEN.

HOW BRUFF SOUNDED THE ALARM.

It was turning-in time, and after a couple of sleepy yawns Mark went to the cabin to find that nearly everyone had retired for the night.

As soon as he had climbed upon his shelf he found that it was going to be one of those hot uncomfortable nights when pillow and sheet get ticklish and make the skin feel itchy. The air he breathed was stifling, and for a long time he lay awake listening to the rippling of the water against the sides of the ship. But at last he slept deeply and dreamlessly, to be awakened by a hand laid upon his shoulder.