the
adoption of such a course. Dull and inert as was the skipper of the
_Betsy Jane_, he was by no means an unskilled seaman. The fact that he
had safely navigated the crazy old craft to and fro between the Thames
and the Tyne, in fair weather and foul, for so many years, was
sufficient evidence of this. He had duly marked the portentous aspect
of the weather, and was debating within himself the question whether he
should put back, or whether he should keep on and take his chance of
weathering the gale, as he had already weathered many others.
Unfortunately his mind was, like himself, rather heavy and slow in
action, and he had not nearly completed the process of "making it up"
when the mate offered his suggestion. _That_ settled the question at
once. The "captain" was as obstinate and unmanageable a man as ever
breathed, and it was only necessary for some one to suggest a course and
he would at once adopt a line of action in direct opposition to it.
Hence his resolve to remain at sea in the present instance.

Having finally committed himself to this course, however, he braced
himself together for the coming conflict with the elements, and when the
watch below was called at eight bells all hands were put to the task of
placing the ship under thoroughly snug canvas before the relieved watch
was permitted to go below. The brig was normally in so leaky a
condition that she regularly required pumping out every two hours when
under canvas, a task which in ordinary weather usually occupied some ten
minutes. If the weather was stormy it took somewhat longer to make the
pumps suck, and, accordingly, no one was very much surprised when, on
the watch going to the pumps just before eight bells, an honest quarter
of an hour was consumed in freeing the old craft from the water which
had drained in here and there during the last two hours. Their task at
length accomplished the men in the skipper's watch, of whom Bob was one,
lost no time in tumbling into their berths "all standing," where they
soon forgot their wet and miserable condition in profound sleep.
Captain Turnbull, contrary to his usual custom, at the conclusion of his
watch retired from the deck only to change his wet garments and envelop
himself in a suit of very old and very leaky oilskins, when he resumed
once more his favourite seat by the companion, stolidly resolved to
watch the gale out, let it last as long as it might.

Note: "All standing" in this case me