426 BETWEEN DECKS. 



demned. Well, the time passed on sleepily, like this, for seven of the 

 fifteen months, and we beginned to look forred for the time o' being 

 relieved. Not having much to do, a good many of our men took to 

 fishing; good sport we had sometimes, catching all manner on 'em, 

 good, bad, and indiff'rent. Well, one day 'twas a precious fine un I 

 remember it very well, the sun was up above, all flaring as hot as possi- 

 ble ; the sea looked so shiny that we could scarcely bear to look at it, 

 and it was so dreadful close, that all on deck got quite drowsy. I, and 

 another man, named Tim Bowling by the bye, he was a bit of an Irish- 

 man ; at least, his father and his mother was Irish ; they kept a crockery 

 shop at Cork, very 'spectable people : Tim's grandfather had a post in 

 the excise, with good wages, and now and then a good deal of condemned 

 wares ; pass us the grog, will ye, Bob ? well, as I was saying, Tim 

 Dowling an' I he was a short, sturdy-looking chap, with a devil of a 

 brogue was a stretching over the starboard bulwark, with what we 

 called our haggling-rods in our bands, and a bit of sheep's heart apiece 

 on the hooks. I said afore, that the day was very sultry. Well, I 

 was a shutting my eyes, and feeling a little inclined to snooze, and Tim 

 was a going off in downright arnest. By and by, out slipped his rod out 

 of his hand, and over he fell ! Ay ! right overboard, by George ! 

 But I forgot to tell ye he had lost one of his pins ; the larboard 

 one it was- and wear'd a wooden one. I'll tell you how it was : he 

 happened to fall in a gale from the fore-yard, when he'd been sent up to 

 help in taking in a reef : the doctor spliced it as well as he could, a 

 clever feller he was, too I could tell you a dozen antidotes of what won- 

 derful things he did ; but a inflammation corned on, and nothing could 



be done, but it must be lopped off; so but I'm steering a little 



wide, a'nt I ? Let's see ! Where did I leave off?" 



" Why, you'd just got him overboard." 



" Ay ! now I've got it. Well, Tim fell smack over, and a devil of 

 a fuss there was aboard when I sung out. I cocked my eye over the 

 bulwark, and what should I see, but a perdigious great shark, rising up 

 out of the deep water, and making way directly for poor Tim. Poor 

 devil ! he screamed like I don't know what. Down went the swings of 

 the jolly through the davit-blocks, and the crew pulled hard out for him, 

 for by this we had made some way, and he had drifted astarn. They 

 warn't in time, for the shark had got hold of his leg ; but it was the 

 wooden one, though, and master shark had no soft morsel. He looked 

 as if he couldn't make out for all the world what he'd got in his throat. 

 Well ! the shark tugged at Tim's pin, and the boat's crew tugged at 

 Tim, till there was such splashing and haggling in the water never was 

 seen. You never seed such fun. But they got him at last aboard, and 

 he began to beat about with his tail, like a fury. A hatchet soon 

 brought him to his senses, and after Tim had been brought aboard 

 again, and the boat was runned up, we had leisure to cut him open, and 

 see what was inside. A mighty fine feller he was, indeed ! I don't 

 know how many feet long. We found inside, a boat's rudder, a straw 

 hat, a baccer-box, a spirit-flask, a sugar- box, compass, and beer-barrel ; 

 all in a very undejested state. We got off his skin, and throwed him 

 overboard ; and there's my story." 



" Talking of falling overboard," said Bob Wilkins, as William Dun- 

 can resumed his pipe, and began to smoke vehemently, " puts me in 



