was a strong breeze blowing up
that wouldn't let us get under weigh; and, besides, we waited for the
most part of our hands. I had sailed with the same ship two voyages
before; so," says the captain to me one day, "Jacobs, there's a lady over
at Greenwich yonder wants to send her boy to sea in the ship--for a
sickening I s'pose. I am a going up to town myself," says he, "so take
the quarter-boat and two of the boys and go ashore with this letter, and
see the young fool. From what I've heard," says the skipper, "he's a
jackanapes as will give us more trouble than thanks. However, if you
find the lady's bent on it, why, she may send him aboard to-morrow if
she likes. Only we don't carry no young gentlemen; and if he slings his
hammock here, you must lick him into shape. I'll make a sailor of him or
a cabin-boy." "Ay, ay, sir," says I, shoving the letter into my hat; so
in half an hour's time I knocks at the door of the lady's house, rigged
out in my best, and hands over the screed to a fat fellow with red
breeches and yallow swabs on his shoulders, like a captain of marines,
that looked frightened at my hail, for I thou't he'd been deaf by the
long spell he took before he opened the door. In five minutes I heard a
woman's voice ask at the footman if there was a sailor awaiting below.
"Yes, marm," says he; and "show him up," says she. Well, I gives a
scrape with my larboard foot, and a tug to my hair, when I gets to the
door of _such_ a fine room above decks, all full o' tables, an' chairs,
an' sofers, an' piangers, an' them sort o' highflying consarns. There
was a lady all in silks and satins on one of the sofers, dressed out
like a widow, with a pretty little girl as was playing music out of a
large book--and a picter of a man upon the wall, which I at once logged
it down for him she'd parted company from. "Sarvint, ma'am," says I.
"Come in, my good man," says the lady. "You're a sailor?" says
she--asking, like, to be sure if I warn't the cook's mate in dish-guise,
I fancy. "Well, marm," I raps out, "I make bould to say as I hopes I
am!"--an' I catches a sight o' myself in a big looking-glass behind the
lady, as large as our sky-sail,--and, being a young fellow in them days,
thinks I, "Blow me, if Betsy Brown asked me that now, I'd ask her if
_she_ was a _woman_!" "Well," says she, "Captain Steel tells me in this
here letter, he's agoing to take my son." Now," says she, "I'm sore
against it--couldn't you say some'at to tu