"No, sir, with all submission, I have no sartainty of that. A bird that can speak, must think; and it's no impossibility, in my mind, in Poll being at this moment cruising as mate of the watch on the back of a wild-duck--but then a duck does dive now and then, to be sure."--I now suspected he had strengthened his nerves a little with a glass of grog.--"However, Poll might take a flight to air her pinions lest they should mildew, during the time the other was below, you know, sir--if she only knowed _where_ he might rise again. Still a gull would be her chance as for that--no diving in a gull, your honour." "But my good man"--the lieutenant, I saw, was not over well pleased to perceive that the old fellow was a sheet or so in the wind, and still less with the freedom of the jest, if jest it was meant for--"will you, I again ask you, come to the point, Dogvane--what _would_ you be at? I can't stand all day palavering here, unless you know your own mind," and he turned away. His rebuke seemed to rouse Dogvane, who now making a sudden effort, sung out quick and sharp--"Then the parrot's overboard and drowned, sir.--And the monkey is drowned too, sir, and the old cat is dead below with the damp and cold; and we shall all be starved for want of a pet, sir." Here he slewed his head backwards. "D--n your eyes, Jack Lennox, will _that_ serve your turn, now?" "Oh, I see, I see," said Lanyard. "There," said Dogvane, giving a skip, and turning a joyful countenance over his shoulder to the group behind him--"There, his honour _sees_--did not I tell you so?--why, I thank your honour--we all thanks you kindly, sir; and such care as we shall take of him--oh, my eye! But all I says is, thank your honour again in the name of the whole bunch of us." He made his salaam, and he and his tail turned to bundle forward. "I guess I know now what you would be at, Dogvane," said the lieutenant. On this the old quartermaster came to the wind again, his face evincing great chagrin and vexation at the idea generated by Lanyard's manner, that after all his lucid explanation, his captain might still be unenlightened. "I presume that having lost all your pets"---- "Ah yes, sir,--that's it." "That having lost all your pets, you want to ask me for the sheep that you have picked up." "No, no, no,"--ran amongst the men; and old Dogvane slid out with a jet of tobacco juice--"D--n the sheep entirely--beg your honour's pardon--but, Jack Lennox, there, take my oar now, will ye--I can make nothing of it--I can't pull a-head at all--it has been all back water with me;" and so saying he made his obeisance, and slunk away amongst the people, slewing his head from side to side, and smiting his thigh, as if he were saying--"Poo, poo, you see the captain won't understand, do as you will--indeed, he does not want to understand, you see."