Dogs -- Fiction; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Seafaring life -- Fiction
"Corporal Van Spitter, over with him," cried Vanslyperken in a rage,
when a sudden stir was heard amongst the men aft, and as the corporal
raised up the light frame of the culprit, to carry it to the gunnel, to
the astonishment of Vanslyperken, of the corporal, and of Smallbones,
Snarleyyow appeared on the forecastle, and made a rush at Smallbones, as
he lay in the corporal's arms, snapped at his leg, and then set up his
usual deep baying, "bow, bow, bow!"
The re-appearance of the dog created no small sensation--Vanslyperken
felt that he had now no reason for keel-hauling Smallbones, which
annoyed him as much as the sight of the dog gave him pleasure. The
corporal, who had dropped Smallbones on the snow, was also disappointed.
As for Smallbones, at the baying of the dog, he started up on his knees,
and looked at it as if it were an apparition, with every demonstration
of terror in his countenance; his eyes glared upon the animal with
horror and astonishment, and he fell down in a swoon. The whole of the
ship's company were taken aback--they looked at one another and shook
their heads--one only remark was made by Jansen, who muttered, "De tog
is no tog a'ter all."
Mr Vanslyperken ordered Smallbones to be taken below, and then walked
aft; perceiving Obadiah Coble, he inquired whence the dog had come, and
was answered that he had come off in the boat which he had taken on
shore for fresh beef and vegetables. Mr Vanslyperken made no reply, but,
with Snarleyyow at his heels, went down into the cabin.
Chapter XI
In which Snarleyyow does not at all assist his master's cause with the
Widow Vandersloosh.
It will be necessary to explain to the reader by what means the life of
our celebrated cur was preserved. When Smallbones had thrown him into
the canal, tied up, as he supposed, in his winding-sheet, what Mr
Vanslyperken observed was true, that there were people below, and the
supposed paving-stone might have fallen upon them: the voices which he
heard were those of father and son, who were in a small boat going from
a galliot to the steps where they intended to land; for this canal was
not like most others, with the water in it sufficiently high to enable
people to step from the vessel's gunnel to the jetty. Snarleyyow fell in
his bag a few yards ahead of the boat, and the splash naturally
attracted their attention; he did not sink immediately, but floundered
and struggled so as to keep himself partly above water.
"What is that?" exclaimed the father to his son, in Dutch.
"Mein Gott! who is to know?--but we will see;" and the son took the
boat-hook, and with it dragged the bread-bags towards the boat, just as
they were sinking, for Snarleyyow was exhausted with his efforts. The
two together dragged the bags with their contents into the boat.
"It is a dog or something," observed the son.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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