d hound as you will be something to scare away
unwelcome visitors. Go back to the Hall, I say. What are you staring
at?"--"Back to Bannerworth Hall!" said Jack. "What! just where I've come
from; all that way off, and nothing to eat, and, what's worse, nothing
to drink. I'll see you d----d first."

The admiral caught up a table-fork, and made a rush at Jack; but Henry
Bannerworth interfered.

"No, no," he said, "admiral; no, no--not that. You must recollect that
you yourself have given this, no doubt, faithful fellow of your's
liberty to do and say a great many things which don't look like good
service; but I have no doubt, from what I have seen of his disposition,
that he would risk his life rather than, that you should come to any
harm."

"Ay, ay," said Jack; "he quite forgets when the bullets were scuttling
our nobs off Cape Ushant, when that big Frenchman had hold of him by the
_skirf_ of his neck, and began pummelling his head, and the lee scuppers
were running with blood, and a bit of Joe Wiggins's brains had come slap
in my eye, while some of Jack Marling's guts was hanging round my neck
like a nosegay, all in consequence of grape-shot--then he didn't say as
I was a swab, when I came up, and bored a hole in the Frenchman's back
with a pike. Ay, it's all very well now, when there's peace, and no
danger, to call Jack Pringle a lubberly rascal, and mutinous. I'm
blessed if it ain't enough to make an old pair of shoes faint away."

"Why, you infernal scoundrel," said the admiral, "nothing of the sort
ever happened, and you know it. Jack, you're no seaman."--"Werry good,"
said Jack; "then, if I ain't no seaman, you are what shore-going people
calls a jolly fat old humbug."

"Jack, hold your tongue," said Henry Bannerworth; "you carry these
things too far. You know very well that your master esteems you, and you
should not presume too much upon that fact."--"My master!" said Jack;
"don't call him my master. I never had a master, and don't intend. He's
my admiral, if you like; but an English sailor don't like a master."

"I tell you what it is, Jack," said the admiral; "you've got your good
qualities, I admit."--"Ay, ay, sir--that's enough; you may as well leave
off well while you can."

"But I'll just tell you what you resemble more than anything
else."--"Chew me up! what may that be, sir?"

"A French marine."--"A what! A French marine! Good-bye. I wouldn't say
another word to you, if you was to pay me a dollar