Snarleyyow | Page 8

four inches high, and, wrapped up in Flushing garments, looked very
much like a bear in shape as well as in skin. His name was Dick Short, and in every
respect he answered to his name, for he was short in stature, short in speech, and short in
decision and action.
Now when Short came up to the lieutenant, he did not consider it at all necessary to say
as usual, "Come on board, sir," for it was self-evident that he had come on board. He
therefore said nothing. So abrupt was he in his speech, that he never even said "Sir,"
when he spoke to his superior, which it may be imagined was very offensive to Mr
Vanslyperken: so it was, but Mr Vanslyperken was afraid of Short, and Short was not the
least afraid of Vanslyperken.
"Well, what have you done, Short?"
"Nothing."
"Did you see anything of the boat?"
"No."
"Did you gain any information?"
"No."
"What have you been doing all night?"

"Pulling."
"Did you land to obtain information?"
"Yes."
"And you got none?"
"No."
Here Short hitched up the waistband of his second pair of trousers, turned short round,
and was going below, when Snarleyyow smelt at his heels. The man gave him a back
kick with the heel of his heavy boot, which sent the dog off yelping and barking, and put
Mr Vanslyperken in a great rage. Not venturing to resent this affront upon his first officer,
he was reminded of Smallbones, and immediately sent for Corporal Van Spitter to appear
on deck.
Chapter IV
In which there is a desperate combat.
Even at this period of the English history, it was the custom to put a few soldiers on
board of the vessels of war, and the Yungfrau cutter had been supplied with a corporal
and six men, all of whom were belonging to the Dutch marine. To a person who was so
unpopular as Mr Vanslyperken, this little force was a great protection, and both Corporal
Van Spitter and his corps were well treated by him. The corporal was his purser and
purveyor, and had a very good berth of it, for he could cheat as well as his commandant.
He was, moreover, his prime minister, and an obedient executor of all his tyranny, for
Corporal Van Spitter was without a shadow of feeling--on the contrary, he had pleasure
in administering punishment; and if Vanslyperken had told him to blow any man's brains
out belonging to the vessel, Van Spitter would have immediately obeyed the order
without the change of a muscle in his fat, florid countenance. The corporal was an
enormous man, tall, and so corpulent, that he weighed nearly twenty stone. Jansen was
the only one who could rival him; he was quite as tall as the corporal, and as powerful,
but he had not the extra weight of his carcass.
About five minutes after the summons, the huge form of Corporal Van Spitter was seen
to emerge slowly from the hatchway, which appeared barely wide enough to admit the
egress of his broad shoulders. He had a flat foraging cap on his head, which was as large
as a buffalo's, and his person was clothed in blue pantaloons, tight at the ankle, rapidly
increasing in width as they ascended, until they diverged at the hips to an expanse which
was something between the sublime and the ridiculous. The upper part of his body was
cased in a blue jacket, with leaden buttons, stamped with the rampant lion, with a little
tail behind, which was shoved up in the air by the protuberance of the parts. Having
gained the deck, he walked to Vanslyperken, and raised the back of his right hand to his
forehead.

"Corporal Van Spitter, get your cats up for punishment, and when you are ready fetch up
Smallbones."
Whereupon, without reply, Corporal Van Spitter put his left foot behind the heel of his
right, and by this manoeuvre turned his body round like a capstern, so as to bring his face
forward, and then walked off in that direction. He soon re-appeared with all the necessary
implements of torture, laid them down on one of the lee guns, and again departed to seek
out his victim.
After a short time, a scuffle was heard below, but it was soon over, and once more
appeared the corporal with the spare, tall body of Smallbones under his arm. He held him,
grasped by the middle part, about where Smallbones' stomach ought to have been, and
the head and heels of the poor wretch both hung down perpendicularly, and knocked
together as the corporal proceeded aft.
As soon as Van Spitter had arrived at the gun he laid down his charge, who neither
moved nor spoke. He appeared to have