HOW NOT TO GO. 125 



"Thick." 



"Thick?" 



" And nasty." 



This was certainly a very decided and correct 

 answer to my question ; but wasn't exactly what I 

 was after, having come to the same conclusion my- 

 self, though I don't think that I could have worded 

 it quite so expressively. 



Waiting till he bore down again, I sent him 

 another hail : 



" Do you think she'll clear up, sir? " 



Somehow I had the idea that "she " sounded a 

 little more sailor-like ; but when he stopped short, 

 and looked at me, I wished I hadn't : he read me. 



First he took off his sou'wester, shook.the rain off 

 it, put it on, then hitched up his trousers, shifted 

 his quid, looked at me again, down at the water, 

 up at the clouds, then nowhere in particular but 

 everywhere in general, and finally delivered himself 

 of this opinion : 



" Why, you see, sir, it's liable to be a nasty night, 

 sir : the wind's piping it strong from the east'ard ; 

 blowed so all last night, and them 'ere low clouds 

 'long there looks ugly. If it works round a little 

 more to the nor'ard and east'ard, sir, I reckon 'fore 

 we gets into Frenchman's Bay cups and sarcers 

 will rattle sum." 



