ue nayghurs; specially that l'adin' man av theirs, that chap
there, see him, wid the big nose on his face? I'd loike to pipe all
hands down in the cabin to splice the main-brace, if ownly the foorst
mate were aboord," he repeated in a regretful tone. Adding, however,
the next moment more briskly: "An', by the blissid piper that played
before Moses, there he is!"

CHAPTER THREE.

WARPING OUT OF DOCK.

While the boatswain was still speaking, and expressing his regret at not
being able to show the stevedores that he properly appreciated the mode
in which they had done their work, I noticed a boy come out from
somewhere on the deck below, just underneath where we were standing, and
make his way towards the forepart of the ship, apparently in a great
hurry about something or other.

I wondered what he was going to do, and was puzzling my head about the
matter, not liking to interrupt Tim Rooney, when the boy himself the
next instant satisfied my curiosity by going up to the ship's bell,
which was suspended in its usual place, under the break of the
forecastle, just above and in front of the windlass bits away forward;
when, catching hold of a lanyard hanging from the end of the clapper, he
struck four sharp raps against the side of the bell, the sound ringing
through the air and coming back distinctly to us aft on the poop. I
should, however, explain that I, of course, was not familiar with all
these nautical details then, only learning them later on, mainly through
Tim Rooney's help, when my knowledge of ships and of sea terms became
more extended.

Just as the last stroke of the bell rang out above the babble of the
men's voices and the shuffling noise of their feet moving about, the
four strokes being sounded in pairs, "cling-clang, cling-clang!" like a
double postman's knock, a slim gentlemanly young man, with brown hair
and beard and moustache, who was dressed in a natty blue uniform like
mine, save that he wore a longer jacket and had a band of gold lace
round his cap in addition to the solitary crown and anchor badge which
my head-gear rejoiced in, appeared on top of the gangway leading from
the wharf alongside. The next instant, jumping down from the top of the
bulwarks on to the main-deck, a couple of strides took him to the foot
of the poop ladder, quickly mounting which, he stood beside us.

"Sure, an' it's proud I am to say yez, sorr," exclaimed the boatswain,
touching the peak of his dilapidated c