Page:Cerise, a tale of the last century (IA cerisetaleoflast00whytrich).pdf/256

 handled. Not one of them, and it was a great acknowledgment for sailors to make, who never think their present berth the best—not one of them had ever before sailed in any description of vessel which answered her helm so readily or could lay her head so near the wind's eye—not one of them had ever seen a furious tropical squall weathered so scientifically and so successfully, nor could call to mind a captain who seemed so completely master of his trade. The three Jacks compared notes on the subject before turning in about sunrise, when the worst was indeed over, but the situation, to a landsman at least, would have yet appeared sufficiently precarious: The brigantine was still driving before a heavy sea, showing just so much canvas as should save her from being becalmed in its trough, overtaken and buried under the pursuing enemy. The gale was still blowing with a fury that offered the best chance of its force soon becoming exhausted, and two men were at the helm under the immediate surpervision of the skipper himself.

Nevertheless, the three stout tars betook themselves to their berth without the slightest anxiety, well aware that each would be sleeping like a child almost before he could clamber into his hammock.

But while he took off and wrung his dripping sea-coat, Bottle-Jack observed sententiously to his mates—

"Captain Kidd could fight a ship, my sons, and Captain Kidd could sail a ship. Now if you asks my opinion, it's this here—In such a squall as we've a-weathered, or pretty nigh a-weathered, Captain Kidd, he'd a-run afore it at once, an' he'd a bin in it now. This here young skipper, he laid to, so long as she could lay to, an' he never run till he couldn't fight no more. That's why he'll be out on it afore the middle watch. Belay now, I'm a-goin' to caulk it for a spell."

Neither Smoke-Jack nor Slap-Jack were in a humour for discussion, and each cheerfully conceded the Captain's judicious seamanship. The former expressing his opinion that nothing in the King's navy could touch the brigantine, and the latter, recurring to his previous experience, rejoicing that he no longer sailed under the gallant but unseamanlike Captain Delaval.

The honest fellows, thoroughly wearied, were soon in the