ll 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 FOUR.

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
executer 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