human
He may be d--d! cried Boreas, in an ecstasy of rage.
gpt
But that's too good for him. Many an honest fellow meets with that fate, who would scorn to speak to such a low, mean, pitiful thief!
human
Don't put yourself into such a passion, Captain, said Lyndsay.
gpt
The man does not deserve it; it would gratify him to know that he could annoy you by his impertinence. Just send Sam up with the empty tea-pot, and your compliments, and tell him that the tea is all out, and he is quite welcome to the use of the pot for the rest of the voyage.
human
Ha, ha! said the Captain, rubbing his hands;
gpt
Well, what did the rascal say?
human
He broke my head with the tea-pot; and worse than that, Sir, it will be of no further use to any one, for he pitched it into the sea, and wished us both in h----.
gpt
Very civil, truly. And what did you say?
human
Thanked him for his good wishes, and hoped that we might have a pleasant voyage. You know, Sir, I am deaf of one ear, and I pretended to misunderstand him, on purpose to anger him the more. But he let out, and swore loud enough to make the dead hear.
gpt
Were you born deaf, Sam? or did you owe it to sickness or accident?
human
Why, Ma'am, that's rather a hard point to determine. It was a queer way in which I lost my hearing, said honest Sam, with a grin;
gpt
I'm sure it will make you laugh when I tell you how it happened, but it is true for all that. My old grandmother, who brought me up (for my father and mother died when I was very young), was a pious woman, and very anxious that I should turn out a good boy. She made me attend the Sunday-school regularly, and beat me soundly if I dared to stay away unknown to her. We used to learn texts from the Scriptures, which were printed on small thin pieces of pasteboard. One day, instead of learning my text, which was very hard, and the weather was hot, and I felt particularly lazy, I put it into my ear, and pretended that I had lost it, when the teacher called me up to say my task. I don't know how I contrived it, but I had thrust it in so far that I could not get it out; and I was afraid to tell Granny what had happened. This brought on an inflammation in my ear, which nearly cost me my life. The doctor extracted the text, but I have been deaf o' that ear ever since.
human
And the text? demanded James Hawke;
gpt
I should rather think, said Flora,
human
I don't remember what it was, replied Sam;
gpt
I think that you are all suffering for my folly just now, said Boreas,
human
Don't dignify him into a second Jonah, Captain.
gpt
Ah, how I should like to pitch the little wretch overboard! But hang me if there's a shark or a whale in the great deep that would condescend to swallow such a tough, ill-favoured, cross-grained, pitiful rascal!