il, sir?" he said. "Werry
comfortin' at a time like this."

"No, thank you, Smith, I don't chew."

"I doos," said Smith, giving a grunt or two, which was followed by the
click of the knife being shut after using it to cut a quid, and then by
the sharp snap of a brass tobacco box. "Werry bad habit, sir, but I
don't seem able to leave it off. I say, sir, what about poor old Billy?
Don't say as you think he's drowned."

"No, no, I hope and pray not," said Oliver.

"That's right, sir. I don't believe he is. Stoopid chuckle brain sort
o' chap in some things; and talk about a bull being obstinit, why, it
would take a hundred bulls biled down to produce enough obst'nacy to
make one Billy Wriggs. He wouldn't get drowned; I've known him tumble
out o' the rigging over and over, and be upset out of a boat, but he's
only picked his self up and clambered in again, and been hauled into the
boat when he was upset. While one day when he were washed overboard--
and I thought he had gone that time, for you couldn't ha' lowered a boat
in such a sea--I'm blessed if another big wave didn't come and wash him
back again, landing him over the poop so wet as you might ha' wrung him
out wonderful clean, and if he'd only had a week's beard off, he'd ha'
looked quite the gentleman."

"Poor fellow, we must save him somehow."

"Tchah! Don't you be down-hearted, sir, you see if he don't turn up all
right again. Reg'lar bad shillin' Billy is. Why, you see how he went
on when he went up the mountain and into holes and over 'em and into hot
water. He allus comes out square. He can't help it. No savage
couldn't kill Billy no matter what he did, and as for this here game--
oh, he'll be all right."

"I hope so, Smith," said Oliver, with a sigh.

"Well, sir, it don't sound as if yer did. You spoke in a tone o' woice
as seemed to say I hope he's jolly well drowned."

"I can't help feeling low-spirited, Smith."

"Course you can't, sir, but you just cheer up and I'll try and tell you
a yarn o' some kind."

"No, no: not now."

"But I feel as if I'd like to, sir, a reg'lar good out an' outer--a
stiff 'un, cause just when I got to the biggest whopper in it, I should
expect to hear Billy behind my back in that solemn and serus woice of
his a-saying, `Speak the truth, Tommy, speak the truth.'"

"If I could think that, Smith, I'd say go on, but I cannot. Here, let's
talk about him and his accident."

"I don't think there's been no ac