Looking Seaward Again | Page 9

at once. Having finished a good sound plate of
hash, he passed his plate along for some ham and eggs, and asked his
host if he did not observe what a good appetite he had compared with
what he used to have.
"Yes," said the captain, in blissful ignorance of what he was saying.
"Your appetite was never very good. I'm glad to see you making such a
good breakfast."
"Well, you know," replied the guest, "the worst of me is, I appear to be
unsociable when I'm eating, as I cannot both eat and talk."
"Go on eating, then," said the host.
"Yes, go on eatin'," responded Yaunie. "You had a long passage, and
must be hungry."
"Quite right," replied the guest, with his mouth full. "I'm glad you don't
think me uncivil, but as I say, I like my breakfast better than most
meals, and I can only do one thing at a time. My wife always says I
must have been born either eating or talking."
He laughed heartily at this little domestic joke, and proceeded with the
putting in of the "bunker coals," as he called it. The captain of the
Claverhouse and the pilot had purposely lingered over their meal to
keep him company. He observed this, and effusively asked them not to
mind him a bit, and to leave the table if they wanted to. After
expressing a few unreal excuses for their apparent rudeness, they were
prevailed upon to go into the state-room, where the captain solemnly
conveyed to Yaunie that he never thought he would live to have
imposed upon him such humiliation.
"I hope the brute will have an apoplectic fit!" said he.
Yaunie did not quite understand all that was said, but knew it meant
some form of obliquy, and replied, "Yes, and I hope so too."
As soon as Farquarson had finished eating, he straightway came to the
state-room and assured his host that he never remembered enjoying a
breakfast so much.
"Let's have a cigar," said he, "to soothe my nerves a bit."
This was given him. He lit up, and was proceeding to discuss the merits
of good feeding with great volubility when his harangue was snapped
by a request from his host to "cut it," as he wished to have a yarn with
him about a matter which was of great importance to himself. "In short,
I wish you to be most careful not to attract attention to me by any

friendly comment about that affair of two years ago. No one who is in
office now would appear to have any suspicion of what took place; or if
they do, it is obvious they are not desirous of opening the question up
again. But should it be brought prominently before them, they will have
to do something, and it may make it very awkward for me. Now, what I
want you to do for me is this: never mention the incident again. I am
sure you would not intentionally do anything that would jeopardize my
safety, and I feel that I have only to ask and you will give me your
word not to do it."
Farquarson jumped to his feet, gripped the hand of the captain in a
sailorly fashion, and said--
"On my Masonic honour, I swear never to breathe again what you have
warned me against, and I'm glad you told me. I might innocently have
got you into a nasty mess. It never struck me when I was bawling out to
you that there was danger. But between ourselves, it was a bit thick
your dashing out of the 'impregnable port,' as they called it, and
expectin' to get off scot-free, I have often spun long twisters about it,
and you can bet it was always made attractive."
"I feel sure you would do that, Farquarson, as you were always a good
story-teller."
This encouraging flattery switched his mind with eager interest on to a
subject quite irrelevant to the one which had engaged their attention so
long.
"Yes," said he, with a self-satisfied smile, "that's true. But talking about
yarns, you remember when I was with Milburn's, running to Hamburg?
The old gentleman asked me to take a few overmen a trip. They
belonged to some mine he was interested in. By the time we got outside,
and got the decks cleared up, it was dark, and the watch was set. The
look-out man went on to the topgallant forecastle, and I was walking
from side to side of the bridge when one of the miners came running up,
and in great excitement he said--
"'Captain, for God's sake gan doon to the cabin and pacify them!
They're playin' nap, and they've faalen oot amang theirselves, and
there's fair almighty hell