The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle | Page 7

Lack-a-day! sir, he
won't suffer his own maids to be in the garrison, but turns them into an
out-house every night before the watch is set. Bless your honour's soul,
he is, as it were, a very oddish kind of a gentleman. Your worship
would have seen him before now; for, when he is well, he and my good
master Hatchway come hither every evening, and drink a couple of
cans of rumbo a piece; but he has been confined to his house this
fortnight by a plaguy fit of the gout, which, I'll assure your worship, is
a good penny out of my pocket."
At that instant, Mr. Pickle's ears were saluted with such a strange noise,
as even discomposed the muscles of his face, which gave immediate
indications of alarm. This composition of notes at first resembled the
crying of quails, and croaking of bull-dogs; but as it approached nearer,

he could distinguish articulate sounds pronounced with great violence,
in such a cadence as one would expect to hear from a human creature
scolding through the organs of an ass; it was neither speaking nor
braying, but a surprising mixture of both, employed in the utterance of
terms absolutely unintelligible to our wondering merchant, who had
just opened his mouth to express his curiosity, when the starting up at
the well-known sound, cried, "Odd's niggers! there is the commodore
with his company, as sure as I live," and with his apron began to wipe
the dust off an elbow-chair placed at one side of the fire, and kept
sacred for the ease and convenience of this infirm commander. While
he vas thus occupied, a voice, still more uncouth than the former,
bawled aloud, "Ho! the house, a-hoy!" Upon which the publican,
clapping a hand to each side of his head with his thumbs fixed to his
ears, rebellowed in the same tone, which he had learned to imitate,
"Hilloah." The voice again exclaimed, "Have you got any attorneys
aboard?" and when the landlord replied, "No, no," this man of strange
expectation came in, supported by his two dependents, and displayed a
figure every way answerable to the oddity of his character. He was in
stature at least six feet high, though he had contracted a habit of
stooping, by living so long on board; his complexion was tawny, and
his aspect rendered hideous by a large scar across his nose, and a patch
that covered the place of one eye. Being seated in his chair, with great
formality the landlord complimented him upon his being able to come
abroad again; and having in a whisper communicated the name of his
fellow-guest, whom the commodore already knew by report, went to
prepare, with all imaginable despatch, the first allowance of his
favourite liquor, in three separate cans (for each was accommodated
with his own portion apart), while the lieutenant sat down on the blind
side of his commander; and Tom Pipes, knowing his distance, with
great modesty took his station in the rear.
After a pause of some minutes, the conversation was begun by this
ferocious chief, who, fixing his eye upon the lieutenant with a sternness
of countenance not to be described, addressed him in these words: "D--
my eyes! Hatchway, I always took you to be a better seaman than to
overset our chaise in such fair weather. Blood! didn't I tell you we were
running bump ashore, and bid you set in the ice-brace, and haul up a

wind?"--"Yes," replied the other, with an arch sneer, "I do confess as
how you did give such orders, after you had run us foul of a post, so as
that the carriage lay along, and could not right herself."--"I run you foul
of a post!" cried the commander: "d-- my heart! you're a pretty dog, an't
you, to tell me so above-board to my face? Did I take charge of the
chaise? Did I stand at the helm?"--"No," answered Hatchway; "I must
confess you did not steer; but, howsomever, you cunned all the way,
and so, as you could not see how the land lay, being blind of your
larboard eye, we were fast ashore before you knew anything of the
matter, Pipes, who stood abaft, can testify the truth of what I
say."--"D-- my limbs!" resumed the commodore, "I don't value what
you or Pipes say a rope-yarn. You're a couple of mutinous--I'll say no
more; but you shan't run your rig upon me, d-- ye, I am the man that
learnt you, Jack Hatchway, to splice a rope and raise a perpendicular."
The lieutenant, who was perfectly well acquainted with the trim of his
captain, did not choose to carry on the altercation any further; but
taking up his can, drank to the health of the stranger, who