by five
furriners.'

"'_What?_' ses the skipper; and I won't repeat what the mate said.

"'We fought 'em as long as we could, sir,' ses Bill, 'then we was both
knocked senseless, and when we came to ourselves we was messed up like
this 'ere.'

"What sort o' men were they?' asked the skipper, getting excited.

"'Sailor-men, sir,' ses Bob, putting in his spoke. 'Dutchies or Germans,
or something o' that sort.'

"'Was there one tall man, with a fair beard,' ses the skipper, getting
more and more excited.

"'Yessir,' ses Bill, in a surprised sort o' voice.

"'Same gang,' ses the skipper. 'Same gang as knocked Mr. Fingall about,
you may depend upon it. Mr. Fingall, it's a mercy for you you didn't get
your face blacked too.'

"I thought the mate would ha' burst. I can't understand how any man
could swell as he swelled without bursting.

"'I don't believe a word of it,' he ses, at last.

"'Why not?' ses the skipper, sharply.

"'Well, I don't,' ses the mate, his voice trembling with passion. 'I
'ave my reasons.'

"'I s'pose you don't think these two poor fellows went and blacked
themselves for fun, do you?' ses the skipper.

"The mate couldn't answer.

"'And then went and knocked themselves about for more fun?' ses the
skipper, very sarcastic.

"The mate didn't answer. He looked round helpless like, and see the
third officer swopping glances with the second, and all the men looking
sly and amused, and I think if ever a man saw 'e was done 'e did at that
moment.

"He turned away and went below, and the skipper arter reading us all a
little lecture on getting into fights without reason, sent the two chaps
below agin and told 'em to turn in and rest. He was so good to 'em all
the way 'ome, and took sich a interest in seeing 'em change from black
to brown and from light brown to spotted lemon, that the mate daren't do
nothing to them, but gave us their share of what he owed them, as well
as an extra dose of our own."

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Light Freights, by W. W. Jacobs

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