“Blown, Master Charles?” said the good-humoured seaman, in answer to a question from hard-working Charlie. “Blown? Not a bit of it; nor yet tired; nor you neither. I _was_ a bit bamboozled though once somewhere hereaway. It’s a good many years past now; but I don’t think as _I_ shall ever forget it. If you’d like to hear it, Miss Blanche, I’ll tell it you, as well as I can. You see, it was rather a ‘circumstance’ from beginning to end. Well, the fact is, I had built a smartish craft very soon after I was out of my time, and me and a man we used to call ‘Downright’ went partners in her, and although maybe she was a trifle crank, and noways useful for stowage, we had pretty good times with her when the mackerel was early, and the prices pretty stiffish. But there never was no real luck about her, and I’ll tell ye how it was. My uncle, he promised to help me with the money for her of a Friday. She was put upon the stocks of a Friday--finished off of a Friday--sailed her first trip of a Friday--and went down of a Friday; so, as I say, Friday’s the worst day, to my mind, in the whole week. Well, the _Spanking Sally_--that’s what we called her, Miss--always carried a weather helm. And one day--it was a Friday, too--me and my mate was coming in with a fairish cargo--Downright he said all along she was over-deep in the water--with a light breeze from the nor’-nor’-west, and the tide about half-flood, as it might be now. I had just gone forward to look to the tackle, when the wind suddenly shifted right on the other tack, and looking out down Channel, I saw what was coming. Black, was it, Master Charlie? Not a bit; it was a white one; and I knew then we should get it _hot and heavy_. It takes something pretty cross to frighten _me_, but I own I didn’t like the looks of it. Well, afore I could douse foresail the squall took her. She capsized, and down she went; and though me and Downright stood by for a start to windward, we never knew exactly how it was till we found ourselves grinning at each other over a spare oar that happened to be on board when she misbehaved, for all the world like two boys playing at see-saw with their mouths full of salt water. Downright he was an older man, and not so strong as me; so when I saw two was no company for one oar, I left it; and thinks I, if I can get off my fisherman’s boots and some of my clothes, I may have a swim for it yet.