carpenter; "but
about this 'ere head of mine, I allus reckoned it was more useful than
ornamental. What did you mean was the matter with it, Mr Poole?"

"Oh, only that it was swelled out so since you've been head contractor
and engineer-in-chief for the getting the gunboat off the rocks.
Doesn't your hat feel very tight?"

"Nay, sir, and you are all wrong, for there's such a breeze here coming
off the sea, hitting slap agin the rocks and coming back right in your
face, that I have been longing for a piece of paper to fold up and put
inside the band of my hat to make it tight. Why I nearly lost it
twice."

"Oh," said Poole, "I thought it must be swelled. You've grown so
important ever since you took the job."

"Never mind what he says, Chips," cried Fitz, "he's only chaffing you."

"Bless your 'eart, sir," cried the carpenter, "I know: this aren't the
first voyage I've had with Master Poole."

"But what do you mean about being ornamental?" said Poole.

"Oh, us Teals, sir, and our boats. Here have we been figuring about
holding up our rifles in the sun, and with these here cutlashes getting
in the men's way wherever we rowed. Regular ornamental I calls us,
never so much as fired a shot or hit any one on the nose with one's
fist. We have done a bit of shouting though. I've hooroared till if I
had tried to do any more, I should roar like a sick bull in a cow-yard
shut up to eat straw, while all the cows were in the next field getting
fat on grass. I want to know what's the use of our coming at all!"

"As supporters of the Don," said Fitz; "for prestige."

"For what, sir?"

"Prestige," said Fitz, laughing.

"Oh! that's it, was it, sir? Well, I'm glad you told me. Where does
that come in?"

"Why, all through. Shows how English men-of-war's-men have helped to
frighten these mongrels into surrender. Haven't you?"

"Well, I dunno about me, sir. I dare say the sight of the Camel there
has scared them a bit. Wherever he showed his teeth, they must have
said to themselves, `What a beggar that would be to bite!' And I
suppose that made them a bit the readier to chuck it up as they did.
But it's just what I said. We Teals have been ornamental all through
this job, and I should have liked to have had just one more go in by way
of putting a neat finish."

"Oh, you've got job enough coming off," said Poole. "There's your
work," and he pointed to the gunboat lying about a quarter of a mile
away.

The