ily that he
contrived to bilge the boat, necessitating the renewal of three timbers
and a plank. I was on deck at the time of the accident, and, forgetting
for the moment his scheme to provoke a seeming quarrel with me, I
cautioned him about the awkward, lubberly way in which he was
proceeding, and recommended him to get more help. He replied, in an
offhand, careless way, that he was quite man enough to _do such_ a job
as that without anybody's help; and, as he spoke, down came the boat
with a crash, and the damage was done. The whole thing seemed such a
piece of pig-headed stupidity that I was thoroughly exasperated with the
fellow, and gave him a good sound rating; much, apparently, to the
amusement of the other men. Joe said nothing by way of excuse--indeed,
any attempt to excuse himself would have been so wholly out of place as
only to have increased his offence--but he slouched away forward,
muttering to himself, and I noticed him stop and say a word or two to a
couple of men who were at work upon the forecastle. _Then_ I remembered
his proposal, and bethought me that this might be his way of carrying
out his plan; if so, I could not help admiring his ingenuity, albeit
still decidedly annoyed with him for the powerful realism with which he
was playing his little comedy.

The boat lay as she had fallen for fully an hour; meanwhile Joe had
vanished. This cool behaviour on his part nettled me still more; and at
length I directed the boatswain to pass the word for Joe to come aft.
Upon which Joe made his appearance, obviously from the forecastle,
wearing that sulky, sullen look that always exasperated me more
thoroughly than anything else, whenever I met with it in a man (I am
afraid I am rather a short-tempered individual at times); and I gave him
such a wigging as four hours earlier I would not have believed possible;
ordering him not to waste any more time, but to set to work at once to
repair the damage occasioned by his clumsiness. Whether or no Joe began
to guess from my manner that he had gone a trifle too far, I know not;
but he at once went to work as I had ordered him, and worked, moreover,
with such a will that by eight bells in the afternoon watch the damage
was repaired and the boat as good as ever she was, save for a lick of
paint over the new work. This want Joe now proceeded, with a great show
of zeal, to supply, procuring a pot of paint and a brush, with which he
came bustling aft. Now, if the