328 CONFESSIONS OF A BEACHCOMBER 



the clothes, the Boss told the boy to swim alongside him, 

 in case of emergency. Halfway across, just as the Boss 

 was feeling that there was some risk in swimming a 

 flooded river in which were many snags, Charcoal cheerily 

 observed — "Suppose you drowned finish. Boss, you gib 

 me you pipe?" Summing up all the possibilities in a 

 second, the Boss gasped out — "No; you bin get pipe 

 when I'm across ! " The boy's aid was prompt and 

 effective. 



Excusable Bias 



Two of the beachcombing class resumed an oft-recurring 

 discussion on the seaworthiness of their respective dinghies. 

 Tom, the silent black boy, a more experienced boatman 

 than either, listened as he watched his own frail bark 

 canoe dancing like a feather in response to every ripple. 



" Tom ! " shouted one of the disputants, " suppose you 

 want to go out in big wind and big sea, which boat you take? 

 This one belonga me, or that one belonga your Boss ? " 



Tom glanced at the boats with the eye of an expert, 

 paused in the exercise of his judgment, and said with 

 emphasis — " Me take 'em my boat ! " 



The Trial Scene 



"Boiling Down," a boy with a not very reputable 

 past, had once stood his trial for a serious offence. On 

 returning to his free hills, he was wont to describe with 

 rare art the trial scene. 



Clearing a patch of ground, he would place one chip to 

 represent the judge — " big fella master " ; a small chip 

 would be His Honour's associate ; twelve chips were the 

 jurymen ; three were the lawyers ; a big chip between two 

 others was "Boiling Down" with attendant policemen, 

 and many scattered about stood for the audience. 



Having arranged his properties, the boy would proceed. 



" Big fella master, he bin say — ' Boinin' Down, you hear 



