and jamming them between the decks by the aid of
jack-screws, that they were soon packed together in one homogeneous
mass--so tightly squeezed that not even a cockroach could have crawled
in between them, not a single crack or cranny being left vacant.

"Thare now! Sure, an' that job's done wid anyhow for this v'yge, plaize
the pigs, ma bouchal!" exclaimed the boatswain with a jolly laugh, after
seeing the main-hatchway covered and battened down, and a tarpaulin
spread over it to make all snug, gazing round with an air of proud
satisfaction, as he slowly made his way up the poop ladder again and
came up to where I was standing by the rail looking over. "Don't ye
think we've made pretty sharp work of it at the last, sorr, eh?"

"I'm sure you have, Mr Rooney," I replied enthusiastically. For, I
could not help admiring the way in which he had got the stevedores to
work so steadily and speedily in getting in the cargo and clearing the
ship's deck, so that it was now trim and orderly in place of being
littered over with lumber as previously--the active boatswain helping
one here, encouraging another there, and making all laugh occasionally
with some racy joke, that seemed to lighten their labour greatly and
cause them to set to their task with redoubled vigour.--"It's wonderful
how you managed them."

"Arrah, sure it's a way I've got wid me, honey," said he with a wink.
Still, I could see he was pleased with my remark all the same, from the
smile of contentment that overspread his face as he added: "Bless ye
though, me darlint, sure an' it's ownly blarney arter all!"

"And what is that?" I asked.

"Faix, ya moost go owver to old Oireland to larn, me bhoy," he answered
with a laugh. "Wait till ye kiss the blarney stone, an' thin ye'll
know!"

"I suppose it's what father calls the _suaviter in modo_," said I,
laughing also, he put on such a droll look. "And I think, Mr Rooney,
you possess the _fortiter in re_, too, from the way you can speak
sometimes."

"Bedad, I don't ondercumstubble," he replied, taking off his cap and
scratching his head reflectively, rather taken aback by my Latin
quotation; "though if that haythen lingo manes soft sawder, by the
powers I've got lashins av it! Howsomedevers, youngster, we naydn't
argify the p'int; but if the foorst mate were ownly aboord, d'ye know
what I'd loike to do?"

"What?" I inquired.

"Why, trate them dock loompers to grog all round. They've worruked
loike bl