ve been
leaning theirselves over the rail in the sun, gawsiping like, as you may
say; but I never took no notice. Fishermen when they're ashore chatter
together like old women over the wash-tubs, but I never takes no heed to
what they says. The captain's been a good friend to me, and so I shuts
my ears when people say nasty things."

"Then you know that they do say nasty things about him?" said Aleck.

"Oh, yes, sir, and 'bout everyone else too. They lets out about me
sometimes, I've heered, and about my losing my legs; but I don't mind.
I say, though, Master Aleck, sir! Haw--haw--haw! Think o' me
forgetting all about 'em and saying that being at sea never did me no
harm! It was a rum 'un!"

Aleck was silent and thinking about his own troubles, making his
companion glance at him uneasily, waiting for the lad to speak; but as
he remained silent the sailor turned the state of affairs over in his
own mind till he hit upon what he considered to be a very happy thought.

"I say, Master Aleck."

"Eh? Yes, Tom."

"I've been a-thinking that as a reg'lar thing I'm a bit skeart o' the
captain. He's such a fierce, cut-you-off-short sort of a gentleman that
I'm always glad to get away when I've been up to the Den to do anything
for yer--pitching the boat's bottom or mending holes, or overhauling the
tackle; but I tell you what--"

"Well, what, Tom?" said Aleck, for the sailor stopped short and crossed
his two dwarf wooden legs in the bottom of the boat, and then, as if not
satisfied, crossed them the other way on.

"I was thinking, Master Aleck, that you and me's been messmates like,
ever since I come back from sea."

"Yes, Tom."

"I mean in a proper way, sir," cried the man, hurriedly. "I don't mean
shoving myself forrard, because well I know you're a young gen'leman and
I'm on'y a pensioned-off hulk as has never been anything more than a
AB."

"I don't know what you're aiming at, Tom," said Aleck, querulously, as
he went on bathing his bruised face again. "Of course we've been like
messmates many a time out with the boat, but what has that to do with
the trouble I'm in?"

"Well, just this here, sir. Messmates is messmates, and ought to help
one another when there's rocks ahead."

"Of course, Tom."

"Well, then, as I've been thinking, suppose I come ashore with yer and
follers yer right up to the captain, and lie close by when he begins to
sort o' keelhaul yer?"

"What good would that do, Tom?"

"