he said to himself, with a curious, regretful
feeling troubling him; and as he went forward to get one of the men to
fill him a bucket of water for his morning bath, for the first time
since leaving England he felt dismal and low-spirited.

"Morning, sir!" said Shaddy. "Mr Joe not wakened yet?"

"No."

"Did you two make friends 'fore you went to sleep?"

"No, Shaddy."

"Then I lay tuppence it wasn't your fault. What a pity it was you let
your tongue say that about the monkey!"

"Yes, Shaddy," said Rob as he plunged his head into the pail and had a
good cool sluice. "I wish I hadn't now. It was a great pity."

"True, sir, it was. You see, there ain't no room in a boat for
quarrelling, and if it came to a fight you'd both go overboard together
and be eaten by the fish afore you knew where you were. And that would
not be pleasant, would it?"

"Don't talk nonsense, Shaddy," said Rob shortly as he plunged his head
into the bucket again.

"Certinly not, sir," replied the man seriously. "You see, I know how it
would be as well as can be. 'Talian lads don't fight like English lads.
They can't hit out straight and honest, but clings and cuddles and
wrastles. Soon as ever you began he'd fly at you, and tie his arms and
legs about you in knots, and hamper you so that you couldn't keep your
balance, and as there's no room in the boat, you'd be ketching your toe
somewhere, and over you'd go. If I were you, Mr Rob, sir, I wouldn't
fight him."

"Will you leave off talking all that stupid nonsense, Shaddy?" cried Rob
angrily as he began now polishing his head and face with the towel.
"Who is going to fight? I suppose you think it's very clever to keep on
with this banter, but I can see through you plainly enough."

Shaddy chuckled.

"All right, sir; I won't say no more. Give him time, and don't notice
him, and then I daresay he'll soon come round."

"I shall go on just as if nothing had happened," said Rob quietly. "I
apologised and said I was sorry, and when his annoyance has passed off
he'll be friends again. What a glorious morning after the storm!"

"Glorious ain't nothing to it, sir. Everything's washed clean, and the
air shines with it. Even looks as if the sun had got his face washed,
too. See how he flashes."

"I can feel, Shaddy," said Rob, with a laugh.

"That's nothing to what's coming, my lad. Strikes me, too, that we
shall find a little more water in the stream, if Mr Brazier says we'