Jimmy said: -- ‘Don't be a dam' fool,’ in a pleasant voice. Knowles, rubbing his shoulder against the doorpost, remarked shrewdly:
-- ‘We can't all go an' be took sick -- it would be Page 79mutiny.’ -- ‘Mutiny -- gawn!’ jeered Donkin;‘there's no bloomin' law against bein' sick.’ -- ‘There's six weeks' hard for refoosing dooty,’ argued Knowles, ‘Imind I once seed in Cardiff the crew of an overloaded ship -- leastways she weren't overloaded, only a fatherly old gentleman with a white beard and an umbreller came along the quay and talked to the hands. Said as how it was crool hard to be drownded in winter just for the sake of a few pounds more for the owner -- he said. Nearly cried over them -- he did; and he had a square mainsail coat, and a gaff-topsail hat too -- all proper. So they chaps they said they wouldn't go to be drownded in winter -- depending upon that 'ere Plimsoll man to see 'em through the court. They thought to have a bloomin' lark and two or three days spree. And the beak giv'
'em six weeks -- coss the ship warn't overloaded. Anyways they made it out in court that she wasn't. There wasn't one overloaded ship in Penarth Dock at all. 'Pears that old coon he was only on papy and allowance from some kind people, under orders to look for overloaded ships, and he couldn't see no further than the length of his umbreller. Some of us in the boarding-house, where I live when I'm looking for a ship in Cardiff, stood by to duck that old weeping sponger in the dock. We kept a good look out, too -- but he topped his boom directly he was outside the court.....Yes. They got six weeks' hard.....’They listened, full of curiosity, nodding in the pauses their rough pensive faces. Donkin opened his mouth once or twice, but restrained himself. Jimmy lay still with open eyes and not at all interested. A seaman emitted an opinion that after a verdict of atrocious partiality ‘the bloomin' beaks go an' drink at the skipper's expense.’ Others assented. It was clear, of course, Donkin said: -- ‘Well, six weeks hain't much trouble. You sleep hall night in, reg'lar, in chokey.
Do it hon my 'ead.’ ‘You are used to it ainch'ee, Donkin?’asked somebody. Jimmy condescended to laugh. It cheered every one wonderfully.
Knowles, with surprising mental agility, shifted his ground. ‘If we all went sick what would happen to the ship? eh?’ He posed the problem and grinned all round. -- ‘Let 'er go to 'ell,’sneered Donkin. ‘Damn 'er. She ain't yourn.’ -- ‘What?
Just let her drift?’ insisted Knowles in a tone of unbelief.
-- ‘Aye! Drift an' be blowed,’ affirmed Donkin with fine recklessness. The other did not see it -- meditated. -- ‘The stores would run out,’ he muttered, ‘and....never get anywhere....and what about pay-day?’ he added with greater assurance.
-- ‘Jack likes a good pay-day,’ exclaimed a listener on the doorstep. ‘Aye, because then the girls put one arm round his neck an' t'other in his pocket, an' call him ducky. Don't they, Jack?’-- ‘Jack, you're a terror with the gals.’ -- ‘He takes three of 'em in tow to once, like one of 'em Watkinses two-funnel tugs waddling away with three schooners behind.’ -- ‘Jack, you're a lame scamp.’ -- ‘Jack, tell us about that one with a blue eye and a black eye. Do’ -- ‘There's plenty of girls with one black eye along the Highway by.... ’-- ‘No, that's a speshul one -- come Jack.’ Donkin looked severe and disgusted; Jimmy very bored; a grey-haired sea-dog s hook his head slightly, smiling at the bowl of his pipe, discreetly amused.
Knowles turned about bewildered; stammered first at one, then at another.
-- ‘No!.... I never!....can't talk sensible sense amidst you.....
Always on the kid.’ He retired bashfully -- muttering and pleased.
They laughed hooting in the crude light, around Jimmy's bed, where on a white pillow his hollowed black face moved to and fro restlessly. A puff of wind came, made the flame of the lamp leap, and outside, high up, the sails fluttered, while near by the block of the foresheet struck a ringing blow on the iron bulwark. A voice far off cried, ‘Helm up!’another, more faint, answered, ‘Hard up, sir!’ They became silent -- waiting expectantly. The grey-haired seaman knocked his pipe on the doorstep and stood up. The ship leaned over gently and the sea seemed to wake up, murmuring drowsily. ‘Here's a little wind comin',’said some one very low, Jimmy turned over slowly to face the breeze. The voice in the night cried loud and commanding: -- ‘Haul the spanker out.’ The group before the door vanished out of the light. They could be heard tramping aft while they repeated with various intonations: -- ‘Spanker out!....’ ‘Out spanker, sir!’ Donkin remained alone with Jimmy. There was a silence.
Jimmy opened and shut his lips several times as if swallowing draughts of fresher air; Donkin moved the toes of his bare feet and looked at them thoughtfully.
‘Ain't you going to give give them a hand with the sail?’ asked Jimmy.
‘No. Hif six ov 'em hain't 'nough beef to set that blamed, rotten Page 81spanker, they hain't fit to live,’ answered Donkin in a bored, faraway voice, as though he had been talking from the bottom of a hole.