tly.

"What about? Why, your associating with Ching so much."

"Oh, that!" I cried.

"Oh, that!" he said, mocking my way of speaking. "Why, what did you
think I meant?"

"I don't know."

"Well, what did he say?"

"Nothing at all."

"What! no lies now."

"Who's telling lies? He didn't say a word about it. We had something
of more consequence to talk about."

"Now, Tanner, hark at that. Did you ever hear such a miserable cheeky
little beggar in your life? It's of no use; we must give him a regular
good towelling."

"Better tell us what the luff said, Gnat," growled Barkins, in so
strange an accession of gruffness that I began to laugh.

"Why, what's the matter with you?" I said. "Don't gruff and grow
hoarse like that."

"Can't help it; got a cold, I s'pose," he cried. "But I say, stop it
now; we want to be friends. Tell us what the luff said."

"Precious little," I replied. "I did all the speaking till we went up
on the quarter-deck."

"Don't listen to him," cried Smith, growing wroth with me. "I never saw
such cheek. One tries to be friends with him, but it's of no use;
directly you open your mouth he jumps down your throat."

"Then you shouldn't have such a big mouth, Smithy," I said sharply, and
then the storm burst.

Tanner roared with laughter, for the width of Smith's mouth had often
been food for our mirth; and, as Barkins afterwards said, my remark came
out so pat.

"Look here," cried Smith, "I'm not going to stand this sort of thing.
You may be fool enough to put up with it, but I won't."

"If you call me a fool I'll punch your head, Smithy," growled Barkins.

"No, you won't," was the retort; "and that's the way you take sides
against me, and encourage the miserable little beggar in his impudent
ways? Now then, you Herrick, you've got to go down on your knees and
beg my pardon, and then tell me everything the skipper and the first
luff said."

"When?" I asked coolly.

"When? Why, now, directly," cried Smith fiercely. "Now then, no
nonsense," he cried, seizing me by the collar; but I wrested myself
away, and in the slight struggle sent him staggering against Barkins.

"Now then, keep off me, please," growled Barkins.

"Keep off yourself; why don't you get out of the way?"

"How was I to know that a blundering idiot was coming up against me?"

"It'll tell you when I've done with the Gnat," said Smith angrily; for I
had unintentionally hurt his arm. "Now you, Skee