Never mind. Look alive now, lad. Come, Susan, heres a box with only one man int, well Hallo! shiver my timbers if it aintnoit cant beStephen Gaff, eh! or his ghost?
Just so, said Stephen, laying down his knife and fork, and shaking warmly the hand which Haco stretched across the table to him; Im always turnin up now an again like a bad shillin. How goes life with ee, Haco? you dont seem to have multiplied the wrinkles since I last saw ye.
Thank ee, Im pretty comfrable. This is my darter Susan, said Haco, observing that his friend glanced inquiringly at his fair companionThe world always uses me much the same. I find it a roughish customer, but it finds me a jolly one, an not easily put out. When did I see ye last? Let me see,two years come Christmas. Why, Ive been wrecked three times since then, run down twice, an drownded at least half-a-dozen times; but by good luck they always manages to bring me roundrowsussitate me, as the doctors call it.
Ay, youve had hard times of it, observed Gaff, finishing his last morsel of meat, and proceeding to scrape up the remains of gravy and potato with his knife; Ive bin wrecked myself sin we last met, but only once, and that warnt long ago, just the last gale. You coasters are worse off than we are. Commend me to blue water, and plenty o sea-room.
I believe you, my boy, responded the skipper. Theres nothin like a good offing an a tight ship. We stand but a poor chance as we go creepin long shore in them rotten tubs, that are well named Coal-Coffins. Why, if it comes on thick squally weather or a gale when yer dodgin off an on, the Coal-Coffins go down by dozens. Mayhap at the first burst o the gale youre hove on your beam-ends, an away go the masts, leavin ye to drift ashore or sink; or praps youre sharp enough to get in sail, and have all snug, when, just as yere weatherin a headland, away goes the sheet o the jib, jibs blowed to ribbons, an afore ye know where ye are, breakers on the lee bow! is the cry. Another gust, an the rotten foretopsls blowd away, carryin the fore-topmast by the board, which, of course, takes the jib-boom along with it, if it ant gone before. Then its stand by to let go the anchor. Let go! Ay, ay, sir. Down it goes, an the Coffins brought up sharp; not a moment too soon, mayhap, for ten to one but you see an hear the breakers, roarin like mad, thirty yards or so astern. It may be good holdin ground, but what o that?the anchors an old un, or too small; the fluke gives way, and yere adrift; or the cables too small, and cant stand the strain, so you let go both anchors, an yed let go a dozen more if ye had em for dear life; but its o no use. First one an then the other parts; the stern is crushed in amost afore ye can think, an in two minutes more, if not less, its all up with ye, unless theres a lifeboat at hand.
Ah! pity theres not more of em on the coast, said Gaff.
True, rejoined Haco, many a poor fellers saved every year by them blessed boats, as would otherwise have gone to the bottom, an left widder and childer to weep for him, an be a burden, more or less, on the country.
The waiter appeared at this point in the conversation with the soup, so Haco devoted himself to dinner, while Gaff ordered a plate of bread and cheese extra in order to keep him company. For some minutes they all ate in silence. Then Haco, during the interval between the courses, informed Gaff that he expected to return to the port of London in a day or two; whereupon Gaff said that he just happened to be lookin out for a ship goin there, as he had business to do in the great city, and offered to work his way. The skipper readily promised to ship him as an extra hand, if the owner chose to send the Coffin to sea without repairs, which, observed Haco, is not unlikely, for hes a close-fisted customer.