Part 6 (1/2)
”Only came one at a time, sir, and they'd no shoes on.”
”Well, what did they say?” cried Brace.
”Like to hear, gentlemen?”
”Of course,” cried Brace.
”They're good trusty lads, gentlemen, but, like all British sailors, a bit plain-spoken. P'raps Sir Humphrey here mightn't like it, though I answer for 'em that they meant no harm.”
Brace looked merrily at his brother as if asking a question.
”Oh, yes, speak out, captain,” he said.
”Well, gentlemen, they all agreed that they thought Mr Brace here would turn out a regular trump as it would be a treat to follow.”
”Come, that's a good character,” cried Brace; ”eh, Free?”
”The poor fellows don't know you yet, Brace, my boy,” said Sir Humphrey drily.
”Oh, my chaps aren't far wrong, sir,” cried the captain, smiling.
”Well, what did they say about me?” asked Sir Humphrey.
The captain's eyes twinkled, and he c.o.c.ked one of his eyes at Brace; but he did not speak.
”Was their report so very bad?” said the young man.
”Yes, sir; pretty tough,” replied the captain.
”Never mind,” said Sir Humphrey, ”so long as it was honest. What did they say, captain?”
”Said they didn't quite know what to make of you, sir; but they all agreed that you looked a bit hard in the mouth, and bull-doggy--that's what they called it. The first mate said, too, that he quite agreed with them, for he could see that if ever it came to a fight with any of the natives, two-foots or four-foots, you'd never flinch.”
”I hope not,” said Sir Humphrey; ”but I also hope we may never be put to the test.”
”But--”
The captain stopped.
”Oh, there's a _but_,” said Brace merrily. ”It would have been quite a decent character if it had not been for that _but_.”
”What was the _but_, captain?” asked Sir Humphrey.
”He couldn't say how you'd come up to the scratch if it was trouble with the long twisters that swarm up the rivers and in the damp forests of these parts.”
”Snakes?” suggested Brace.
”That's right, sir: boa constructors, as the showman said they was called, because they constructed so many pleasing images with their serpentile forms.”
”Well,” said Sir Humphrey, ”to be perfectly frank, I don't know myself how I should behave under such circ.u.mstances, for I have a perfect dread of serpents of all kinds. The poisonous ones are a horror to me.”