214 ALONGSHORE iv 



appreciate the beautiful — they took to Onionhead, 

 and, though he wetted them to the skin bringing 

 the boat ashore, they would go to sea with no one 

 else. 'Thic chap's fright,' they were called. He 

 caught their catchword from them. 'Beautiful!' 

 he would say, at first In fun or mockery, after- 

 wards out of habit. And Beautiful he came to be 

 called, at first also In fun, but afterwards because 

 the name was so appropriately Inappropriate. 



His fright, that would go to sea only with him, 

 gave him a certain amount of reputation. 'Must 

 be something In the chap, thee's know, for they 

 sort o' people to stick to 'en like that.' Had he 

 spruced himself up he might have been given 

 employment In the busy seasons. He did look 

 after himself till his fright went away. Then he 

 returned to his old ways; he got drunk, fought a 

 man (he was in the right), was turned away from 

 his lodging, and slept out. One fright refused to 

 go In a boat with him a second time. They said 

 In a stage-whisper that he wasn't nice — 'Not at 

 all nice for ladies.' Benjie, who felt for Beautiful 

 under such an Insult, whether merited or not, 

 offered to take him winkle-picking. They rowed 

 down westward, Benjie going easy with his oar In 

 order not to pull the boat around against Onion- 



