BKTWKEN DECKS. 



427 



mind of a gallows good story that I knows myself for a fac'. When I 

 was aboard the Dry-head, 40, Captain Trunnion, there was a fo'castle 

 man named Ned Curtis, a very good feller, and one what tooked all 

 things very easily. I remember once he fell much in the way as your 

 man did, Duncan, only he was in a worse perdicament, as the sea was 

 running high, and we was making good way. The captain jumped to 

 the side, " Hillo, Curtis!" says he, " is that you overboard'?" " Ay, 

 ay, sir!" singed out Curtis. " Forward there ! down with a boat 

 quick a man's overboard !" cried the skipper. " No hurry, sir," said 

 Curtis, "take ye'r time; I feels very comfortable." But Ned wasn't 

 left to feel himself comfortable very long : he was soon hauled in, and 

 set again on his pins on deck. Well ! we was lying snug enough off 

 Havant, and this Ned Curtis had a wife ; a strapping craft, broad in the 

 beam, with a high starn, and very bluff in the bows ; enough to have 

 made five on him. She was a taller-chandler's daughter, and Ned had 

 taken a fancy to her, when he was passing by her house, when she was 

 down below in a cellar on a melting-day, looking at the men. Ned 

 happened to leer down, and she happened to leer up, just at one moment, 

 and it was a slap shot o' both sides ; so he stopt, and not knowing well 

 how to get another sight on her, walked into the shop, and asked the 

 price of tens dips. He bought a pound on 'em, and dallied about the 

 shop, waiting to see if she'd come up, taking a long time in forking out 

 the blunt, and another long time in counting it, and passing the change 

 into his starboard locker, and another long time in looking at piles of 

 soap, tin things full of oil, and papers o 1 starch. But at last up com'd 

 the young 'oman, looking as red as the field in a marchant-man's bunt- 

 ing. Somehow or 'nother they all scraped acquaintance, and after a 

 little conwersation forred, they bore up for the parlour, and cast anchor 

 round the fire ; Ned was at that time jolly good company, so I don't 

 wonder that he made his way among em : he'd ha' done it with Old 

 Nick he'd got such a confounded insiniwatin way with him. Well ! 

 the short and the long of it is, that they was spliced, and she used to 

 come, and stay a week or two aboard, sometimes, along with him. They 

 lived very comfortably together : she was of a 'commodating temper, 

 and he was of a light-hearted, and pleasant, and yielding disposition ; 

 so they got on famously, and was, as the second leeftenant used to say, 

 a pattern of connubural facility ; never having many breezes, and keep- 

 ing, generally speaking, very fair weather atween them. She was a 

 little fond o' drink, to be sure ! but that warn't no great harm, as every 

 body's got their failings, and a taste o* grog is very comfortable some- 

 times, as we all knows. Howsomedever, I'm steering a little wide. 

 Well, one day she was a leaning out o' one of the weather bow-ports, a 

 draining the water from a pot o' tatoes, and the craft giving a heel over, 

 she was fairly chucked overboard. A precious scream she giv'd when 

 she found herself a tumbling ; all on the deck was in fine commotion, 

 and Ned com'd running up, quite flubbergasted ; he runs to the port, 

 and looks over. But all wa'nt no use ; the poor 'oman swimmed like 

 lead, and down she was, afore you could say ' Jack Robinson !" 

 " Shiver my timbers !" cries he, slapping his hand agin his forehead, 

 " if she hasn't gone over with the key of the tea caddy ! Bless' d if I musn't 

 break it open /" That's a fac', cause I heerd it. BILL ROGERS. 



Late H. M. S. " Fire-Fly." 



