despair in my heart.
Silver took a whiff or two of his pipe with great composure and then ran
on again.
Now, you see, Jim, so be as you ARE here, says he, I ll give you a
piece of my mind. I ve always liked you, I have, for a lad of spirit,
and the picter of my own self when I was young and handsome. I always
wanted you to jine and take your share, and die a gentleman, and now, my
cock, you ve got to. Cap n Smollett s a fine seaman, as I ll own up to
any day, but stiff on discipline. Dooty is dooty, says he, and right
he is. Just you keep clear of the cap n. The doctor himself is gone dead
again you-- ungrateful scamp was what he said; and the short and the
long of the whole story is about here: you can t go back to your own
lot, for they won t have you; and without you start a third ship s
company all by yourself, which might be lonely, you ll have to jine with
Cap n Silver.
So far so good. My friends, then, were still alive, and though I partly
believed the truth of Silver s statement, that the cabin party were
incensed at me for my desertion, I was more relieved than distressed by
what I heard.
I don t say nothing as to your being in our hands, continued Silver,
though there you are, and you may lay to it. I m all for argyment; I
never seen good come out o threatening. If you like the service, well,
you ll jine; and if you don t, Jim, why, you re free to answer no--free
and welcome, shipmate; and if fairer can be said by mortal seaman,
shiver my sides!
Am I to answer, then? I asked with a very tremulous voice. Through all
this sneering talk, I was made to feel the threat of death that overhung
me, and my cheeks burned and my heart beat painfully in my breast.
Lad, said Silver, no one s a-pressing of you. Take your bearings.
None of us won t hurry you, mate; time goes so pleasant in your company,
you see.
Well, says I, growing a bit bolder, if I m to choose, I declare I
have a right to know what s what, and why you re here, and where my
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