m up as a right real seaman, there's no doubt; but,
d'ye see, as ye know, mates all, a sneaking Frenchman's round-shot comes
aboard us and strikes him between wind and water, so to speak, and
pretty nigh cuts him in two. Before he slipped his cable, many on you
who stood near knows what he said to us. He told us that he gave the
baby to the ship's company--to look after--to be brought up as a seaman
should be brought up. One and all on us would do the same and much
more, as I know, for little True Blue, seeing as how he naturally-like
belongs to us--ay, mates, and we would be ready to fight for him to the
last; and if there was one thing would make us keep our colours flying
to the last, it would be to prevent him falling into the enemy's hands,
to be brought up as a capering, frog-eating Frenchman. But, mates, d'ye
see, this would be very well if we could all stick together aboard the
same ship, and for his sake I knows we'd try to do it; but, as you
knows, there are the chances of war--we may be separated--one may go to
one ship, one may go to another, and who is he to go with, I should like
to know? Now I don't want that any on us should lose the pleasure and
honour of looking after him, that I don't--I'd scorn to be so unjust to
any one; but we wants to settle when the evil time arrives when we, who
has served together so long, and fought together, and stuck together
like brothers and true seamen should, comes to be scattered, who the
little chap, Billy True Blue, is to go with--that's the point, mates,
d'ye see? He can't go with us all. He must be with some one on us, the
primest seaman, too, who'll teach him to knot and splice, to hand-reef
and steer, and all the ways of a seaman. That's what we has to do. We
can't teach him much yet, you'll all allow, and the Captain says as how
he'll give nine dozen to any man as puts a quid of baccy in the
younker's mouth; so we can't even learn him to chaw yet, which to my
mind he'd do better nor anything else, as he's most practice with his
jaws just yet; but the time will come when he can use his fists, too,
and the sooner he gets 'em into the tar-bucket the better, says I."
This opinion was loudly applauded by all present.

Tom made some further remarks to the same effect. "And now," he
concluded, "any one on you who has got anything for to say for or again'
what I've been a-saying, let him stand up on his legs and say it out
like a man."

Bill Tompion, one of th