e gunner's crew, thereon arose with a sudden
spring, and, having squirted a stream of tobacco juice through a port,
exclaimed:

"What Tom says is all very true. No one here nor there will want to
deny it; but what I axes is, who's to have charge of the younker?
That's what I see we wants to settle. When I fires my gun, I doesn't
blaze away at the air, but looks along it and sees what I'm going to
fire at, and takes my aim; and, d'ye see, if it's an enemy's ship not
far off, I generally hits, too. Now that's just as I was saying, mates,
what we have to do. We wants to fix on fit and proper persons to look
after our little chap aboard here,--the ship's own child, I may say,--to
see that he gets into no mischief, and to bring him up as a seaman
should be brought up. Now I'd like to be one on those to look after
him, and Tom would like to be one, and many on us would like to have the
work, and most of us, ay, and all of us," (there was a general cheer);
"but, mates, it isn't the men who'd like it most, but the men who is
most fit, d'ye see, we are bound to choose. Now I speak for myself.
I'm a thoughtless, careless sailor--I've run my head into more scrapes
than I'd like to own. I'm very well afloat, but ashore I wouldn't like
to have on my conscience to have charge of that young chap, d'ye see;
and as for Tom Snell, he'll speak for himself. Betty Snell kept him
straight, there's no doubt of it; but now she's gone, poor Tom's all
adrift again, and it's just a chance if he goes for to splice once more,
what sort of a wife he'll pick up. Therefore, says I, neither Tom nor
I'm the best man to look after Billy True Blue. But, mates," (here
Tompion stopped and struck his hands together), "I does say that I
thinks I knows who is a good man, a fit man, and a friend and messmate
of Will Freeborn, and that man is Paul Pringle. He's what the parsons
calls a godfather, and so I take it he's a sort of a guardian like
already, and he's had charge of the little chap ever since poor Betty
and Nancy lost the number of their mess; and if Paul will take charge,
and I'm sure he will, I says, `Let him be one of the guardians.'"

Paul rose. "Mates all," said he, giving a hitch to his waistband, "I
thanks ye. Don't you think as long as body and soul keep together I'd
look after little Billy True Blue, who was born aboard this ship, whose
father and mother was my friends, and who, I may say, is just like a son
to me? I know you all