a thing or two at sea, I have. If you would on y lay your course, and a
p int to windward, you would ride in carriages, you would. But not you!
I know you. You ll have your mouthful of rum tomorrow, and go hang.
Everybody knowed you was a kind of a chapling, John; but there s others
as could hand and steer as well as you, said Israel. They liked a bit
o fun, they did. They wasn t so high and dry, nohow, but took their
fling, like jolly companions every one.
So? says Silver. Well, and where are they now? Pew was that sort,
and he died a beggar-man. Flint was, and he died of rum at Savannah. Ah,
they was a sweet crew, they was! On y, where are they?
But, asked Dick, when we do lay em athwart, what are we to do with
em, anyhow?
There s the man for me! cried the cook admiringly. That s what I call
business. Well, what would you think? Put em ashore like maroons? That
would have been England s way. Or cut em down like that much pork? That
would have been Flint s, or Billy Bones s.
Billy was the man for that, said Israel. Dead men don t bite, says
he. Well, he s dead now hisself; he knows the long and short on it now;
and if ever a rough hand come to port, it was Billy.
Right you are, said Silver; rough and ready. But mark you here,
I m an easy man--I m quite the gentleman, says you; but this time it s
serious. Dooty is dooty, mates. I give my vote--death. When I m in
Parlyment and riding in my coach, I don t want none of these sea-lawyers
in the cabin a-coming home, unlooked for, like the devil at prayers.
Wait is what I say; but when the time comes, why, let her rip!
John, cries the coxswain, you re a man!
You ll say so, Israel when you see, said Silver. Only one thing I
claim--I claim Trelawney. I ll wring his calf s head off his body with
these hands, Dick! he added, breaking off. You just jump up, like a
sweet lad, and get me an apple, to wet my pipe like.
You may fancy the terror I was in! I should have leaped out and run for
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