“the other side!” exclaimed the oddity, involuntarily turning towards england. “poo! poo! nonsense, man,—i only came to look at your accommodations. i’m not going across with you—i’m not, upon my word!”
“i must beg your pardon, sir;” said the captain, quite
[pg 434]
solemnly. “but it is my firm opinion that you are ‘going across.’”
“poo, poo! all gammon.—i till you i am going back to dublin.”
“upon my soul, then,” said the skipper, rather briskly, “you must swim back like a grampus, or borrow a pair of wings from the gulls.”
the man at the helm grinned his broadest at what he thought a good joke of his officer’s—while the original turned sharply round, parodied a hyena’s laugh at the fellow, and then returned to the charge.
“come, come, skipper—it’s quite as far out as i care for—if you want to treat me to a sail!”
“treat you to a sail!” roared the indignant officer. “zounds! sir, i’m in earnest—as much in earnest as ever i was in my life.”
“so much the better,” answered the original. “i’m not joking myself, and i have no right to be joked upon.”
“joke or no joke,” said the captain—“all i know is this. the mail bags are on board—and it’s more than my post is worth to put back.”
“eh? what? how?” exclaimed the oddity, with a sort of nervous dance. “you astonish me! do—you—really—mean to say—i’m obligated to go—whether i’ve a right or not?”
“i do indeed, sir—i’m sorry for it, but it can’t be helped. my orders are positive. the moment the mail is on board i must cast off.”
“indeed!—well—but you know—why, that’s your duty, not mine. i have no right to be cast off! i’ve no right to be here at all. i’ve no right to be anywhere—except in merrion square!”
the captain was bothered. he shrugged up his shoulders, then
[pg 435]
gave a low whistle, then plunged his hands in his pockets—then gave a loud order to somebody, to do something, somewhere or other; and then began to walk short turns on the deck. his captive, in the meantime, made hasty strides towards the stern, as if intending to leap overboard; but he suddenly stopped short, and took bewildered look at the receding coast. the original wrong was visibly increasing in length, breadth, and depth, every minute; and he again confronted the captain.
