ople.' But all I could
say wouldn't do. He vowed that he would never give me anything again,
and what is more, he never did, and never again would take my boat."

"Served you right too, old ship," said my uncle. "You learned by that,
I hope, that moderation is the best policy. But heave ahead. You are
not to charge us at the rate of a shilling a fathom for your yarns,
remember that."

Old Jerry cocked his eye with a knowing wink, and began. "Well then,
one morning after I had been sleeping up at my uncle's, for some reason
or other--it might have been that I'd had a drop too much the night
afore, but I can't say, as it's some time ago--I don't score those
things down in my log, d'ye see--I was going down the street with my
boat-hook in my hand--I know that I had the boat-hook because I took it
up with me. It was rather dusky, so to speak, because the sun wasn't
up, nor would be for some hours to come, when, as I was passing a house
with a deep porch before the door, what should I see but a big pair of
fiery eyes glaring out at me like hot coals from a grate in a dark room.
Never in all my life did I see such fierce red sparklers, but I never
was a man to be daunted at anything, not I, so I gripped my boat-hook
firmly in both hands and walked towards it. I wasn't given to fancy
things, and I had never seen any imps of Satan, or Satan himself, and
never wished to see them, so I thought this might be a dog or a cat,
maybe, troubled with sore eyes, which made them look red. On I marched,
therefore, as steady as a judge or a grenadier on parade, when, just as
I got near the door, a dark shaggy form rose up right before me, the
eyes glowing redder and hotter than ever. It grew, and it grew, and
grew, every moment getting taller and bigger, till it reached right up
to the top of the house. I kept looking at it, thinking when it would
have done growing; but as for running away, even if I had had any fancy
for running, I knew that it would have come after me and would overhaul
and gobble me up, in a quarter less no time, so I stood where I was,
considering what would happen next. At last, thinks I to myself, you
are not going to look at me in that way whatever you are; so, shutting
my eyes, for I couldn't for the life of me bear its glare any longer, I
made a desperate dash at it with my boat-hook. You should have heard
the hullabaloo there was, and I found the boat-hook dragged right out of
my hands. I opened my