follow me, sir?" said Smithers, leading the way
below. "I dessay you'll find it a bit stuffy, but that's owing to Bill
Dobbs. A regler old sea-dog is Bill, always sleeps in 'is clothes and
never washes."

"I don't think the worse of him for that," said Ralph, regarding the
fermenting Dobbs kindly.

"You'd best keep a civil tongue in your 'ed, my lad," said Dobbs
shortly.

"Never mind 'im," said Smithers cheerfully; "nobody takes any notice o'
old Dobbs. You can 'it 'im if you like. I won't let him hurt you."

"I don't want to start by quarreling," said Ralph seriously.

"You're afraid," said Jem tauntingly; "you'll never make one of us. 'It
'im; I won't let him hurt you."

Thus aroused, the boy, first directing Dobbs' attention to his
stomach by a curious duck of his head, much admired as a feint in his
neighborhood, struck him in the face. The next moment the forecastle was
in an uproar and Ralph prostrate on Dobbs' knees, frantically reminding
Jem of his promise.

"All right, I won't let him 'urt you," said Jem consolingly.

"But he _is_ hurting me," yelled the boy. "He's hurting me _now_."

"Well, wait till I get 'im ashore," said Jem, "his old woman won't know
him when I've done with him."

The boy's reply to this was a torrent of shrill abuse, principally
directed to Jem's facial short-comings.

"Now don't get rude," said the seaman, grinning.

"Squint eyes," cried Ralph fiercely.

"When you've done with that 'ere young gentleman, Dobbs," said Jem, with
exquisite politeness. "I should like to 'ave 'im for a little bit to
teach 'im manners."

"'E don't want to go," said Dobbs, grinning as Ralph clung to him. "He
knows who's kind to him."

"Wait till I get a chance at you," sobbed Ralph, as Jem took him away
from Dobbs.

"Lord lumme," said Jem, regarding him in astonishment. "Why, he's
actooaly cryin'. I've seen a good many pirates in my time, Bill, but
this is a new sort."

"Leave the boy alone," said the cook, a fat, good-natured man. "Here,
come 'ere, old man. They don't mean no 'arm."

Glad to escape, Ralph made his way over to the cook, grinding his teeth
with shame as that worthy took him between his knees and mopped his eyes
with something which he called a handkerchief.

"You'll be all right," he said kindly. "You'll be as good a pirate as
any of us before you've finished."

"Wait till the first engagement, that's all," sobbed the boy. "If
somebody don't get shot in the back it won'