human
Bad enough,
gpt
Bad enough! repeated my father,
human
Very true, sir, said I;
gpt
And pray, Frank, said my mother,
human
It kept company, I assure you. I watched them go astern, with tears in my eyes, thinking how angry you would be.
gpt
Well, but the chest, Frank, what became of the chest? You said that the Vandals had some respect for heavy objects, and yours, I am sure, to my cost, had very considerable specific gravity.
human
That's very true, sir; but you have no notion how much it was lightened the first day the ship got to sea. I was lying on it as sick as a whale--the first lieutenant and mate of the lower deck came down to see if the men's berths were clean; I and my Noah's ark, lay slap in the way--`Who have we here?' said Mr Handstone. `Only Mr Mildmay, and his chest, sir,' said the sergeant of marines, into whose territory I acknowledged I had made very considerable incroachments. `Only!' repeated the lieutenant, `I thought it had been one of the big stones for the new bridge, and the owner of it a drunken Irish hodman.' I was too sick to care much about what they said.
gpt
You forget your breakfast,
human
I'll thank you for another muffin, and another cup of coffee,
gpt
Poor fellow! said my mother,
human
Oh! I have not told you half yet, my dear mother; I only wonder I am alive.
gpt
Alive, indeed! said my Aunt Julia;
human
The first thing Mr Handstone said, was, that my chest was too big; and the next thing he said, was, `tell the carpenter I want him. Here, Mr Adze, take this chest; reduce it one foot in length, and one in height.' `Ay, ay, sir,' said Adze; `come, young gentleman, move off, and give me your key.' Sick as I was, I knew remonstrance or prayer were alike useless, so I crawled off and presented my key to the carpenter, who very deliberately unlocked, and as expeditiously unloaded all my treasure. The midshipmen all gathered round. The jars of preserves and the cakes of gingerbread which you, my dearest mother, had so nicely packed up for me, were seized with greediness, and devoured before my face. One of them thrust his filthy paw into a pot of black currant jelly, which you gave me for a sore throat, and held a handful of it to my mouth, knowing at the same time that I was ready to be sea-sick in his hand.
gpt
I shall never bear the sight of jelly again,
human
The nasty brutes!
gpt
Well, I resumed,
human
Never mind, my dear boy, said my mother,
gpt
So I suppose we must, said my father;
human
Well, sir, in half an hour my chest was ready for me again; but while they were about it, they might have taken off another foot, for I found ample space to stow what the plunderers had left. The preserve jars, being all empty, were given, of course, to the marines; and some other heavy articles being handed away, I was no longer puzzled how to stow them. After this, you know, sir, we had the action, and then chest and bedding and all went to the devil.
gpt
Do they throw all the chests and bedding overboard on these occasions?
human
Yes; always everything that is in the way, and my chest was in the way, and away it went. You know, sir, I could not knock down the first lieutenant: they would have hanged me at the yard-arm.
gpt
Thank Heaven, you did not, my love, said my mother;
human
All went in the lump. They are somewhere near the entrance of the Gut of Gibraltar--all lost except my Bible: I saved that, as I happened to be reading it in my berth the night before the action.
gpt
Excellent boy! exclaimed my mother and aunt both together;
human
I am sure he speaks the truth.
gpt
I hope he does, said my father, drily;