Afloat and Ashore | Page 6

me, did not
pause for an instant either in giving his orders to "hoist!" and "lower
away!" or in keeping a keen weather-eye open, as he afterwards
explained to me, on the gang, so as to see that none of the hands
shirked their work; and, as I stared helplessly at him, quite unable as
yet to apprehend his meaning, or know what he wished me to do, he
gave a quick side-glance over his shoulder to where I stood and
renewed his questioning.
"Sure an' ye can answer me if you loike, for ye ar'n't dumb, me bhoy,
an' ye can spake English fast enough. Now. I'll ax ye for the last
toime--whare d'ye spring from?"
"Spring from?" I repeated after him, more puzzled than ever and awed
by his manner, he spoke so sharply, in spite of his jovial face and
twinkling eyes. "I jumped from that plank," pointing to the gangway by
which I came on board as I said this.
This response of mine seemed, somehow, to put him into all the greater
rage--I'm sure I can't tell why.
"Bad cess t'ye for an omahdawn! Sure, an' it isn't springin'--joompin' I
mane," he thundered in a voice that made me spring and jump both.
"Where d'ye hail from, me joker? That's what I want to know. An' ye'd
betther look sharp an' till me!"
"Hail from?" I echoed, completely bewildered by this time; for, being
unused to sailor's talk, as I've previously mentioned, I could not make
head or tail of his language, which his strong Irish brogue, equally
strange to me then, made all the more difficult to be understood. I could
see, of course, that he wanted to learn something of me; but what that
something was I was unable to guess, although all the time anxious to
oblige him to the best of my ability. He was so impatient, however, that
he would hardly give me time to speak or inquire what he wanted,

besides which, he frightened me by the way in which he roared out his
unintelligible questions. So, unable to comprehend his meaning, I
remained silent, staring at him helplessly as before.
Strange to say, though, my answer, or rather failure to answer this last
interrogatory of his--for I had only repeated his own words--instead of
further exasperating him as I feared, trembling the while down to my
very boots, appeared to have the unexpected effect of appeasing his
sudden outburst of passion, which now disappeared as quickly as it had
broken out over my unoffending head.
"Be jabers, the gossoon's a born nat'ral!" he said sympathetically in a
sort of stage whisper to the stevedores, although in loud enough tones
for me to hear; and then, looking at me more kindly, and speaking in a
gentler key than he had yet adopted, he added, accentuating every word
separately and distinctly, with a racier Milesian accent than ever:
"Arrah, sure, an' I didn't mane to be rough on ye, laddie; but, till me
now, whar' d'ye come from, what's y'r name, an' what for are ye doin'
here?"
This was plain language, such as I could understand; and, seeing that he
must be some one in authority, despite his tarred clothes and somewhat
unpolished exterior, I hastened to answer his string of questions,
doffing my cap respectfully as I did so.
"My name is Allan Graham," I said on his motioning to those working
the crane to stop a bit while I spoke, "and I came up early this morning
from the country to sail in the Silver Queen. The brokers in Leadenhall
Street, Messrs. Splice and Mainbrace, to whom I went first, told me to
go on down to the docks and join the ship at once, sending a clerk to
show me the way, which he did, pointing out this vessel to me and
leaving me after saying that I was to go on board by the `gangway,' as
he called the plank I walked up by--that is why I am here!"
I uttered these last words somewhat sturdily and in a dignified tone,
plucking up courage as I proceeded; for, I began to get rather nettled at
the man's suspicions about me, his questions apparently having that
look and bearing.

"Och, by the powers!" he ejaculated, taking no notice of my dignified
demeanour; "yis, an' that's it, is it? Sure, an' will ye till me now, are ye
goin' as a cabin passinger or what, avic?"
"I'm going in the Silver Queen as a first-class apprentice," I answered
with greater dignity than ever, glancing down proudly at the smart blue
suit I wore, with its shining gilt buttons ornamented with an anchor in
relief, which mother and sister Nellie had so much admired the day
before, when I had