Page:Cruise of the Dry Dock.djvu/211

 “Two years, only two years, sor. Never did finish my term an' get my papers. Often's the time 'e's begged me to do it, Mr. Madden. 'E'd say, ''Enry, me boy, w'y don't ye finish your term and git a screw o' sixteen pun' per, but I was allus a——”

“That's all right!” cried Leonard delightedly. “I don't care whether you're a full-fledged engineer or not. You're hired for this job. Understand? You'll get full wages, and then some. I'll——”

“Oh! I can 'andle a little hengine like this, sor. That's th' inspirator, sor,” he pointed. “That's th' steam chist. In th' other end is th' condensing chamber. That little hegg-shaped thing is——”

“That's all right; I'm no examining board. Just so you can run it and keep it running. Now I'll get a gang at the furnace, if the boys have got over their sea-serpent scare by this time.”

“They're jolly well over that, sor. Me and Mulcher 'ave decided as 'ow we're goin' to kill that sea sorpint, if it comes a-bitin' into our tug, sor.”