THE CAST-AWAY. 141 



They danced around a gens d'armes, they over- 

 turned a fruiterer's truck, they smashed a 

 dozen windows, and they kissed all the girls they 

 could find on the streets. Then they locked arms 

 once more, and charged down the main avenue of 

 Victoria on their way back to the boat-house. 



" Half bottle leff ! " gurgled poor, old Weather- 

 face. "Splice main brace, — brace main splice, — 

 close-reef ! " 



As has already been intimated, the cooper of 

 the English whaleship, though absent, had not 

 been made conspicuous by his absence. Now, 

 however, as the rollicking party tumbled into the 

 boat-house again, the cooper became shockingly 

 conspicuous by his presence. 



He lay stretched out in the canoe, like the 

 Lady of Shalott, and he was quite as unconscious 

 as that unfortunate celebrity. Beside him lay 

 the bottle ( a " dead soldier " ) entirely empty. 



At first sight of so horrid a spectacle a howl of 

 dismay went up from the crowd. 



"Blast his toppy blood-lights!" roared 

 Weatherface. "How'll we main splice-brace 

 now f 



"Curse the cooper," said Burkett, "we'll 

 cooper 'im; we'll put the 'oops on 'im; we'll 

 'ammer 'is styves ! " 



