“‘I want a guarantee,’ ’e says, wringin’ ’is ’ands like this. ‘_I_ ’aven’t ’ad sunstroke slave-dhowin’ in Tajurrah Bay, an’ been compelled to live on quinine an’ chlorodyne ever since. _I_ don’t get the horrors off glasses o’ brown sherry.’ “‘What ’ave you got now?’ I says. “‘_I_ ain’t an officer,’ ’e says. ‘_My_ sword won’t be handed back to me at the end o’ the court-martial on account o’ my little weaknesses, an’ no stain on my character. I’m only a pore beggar of a Red Marine with eighteen years’ service, an’ why for,’ says he, wringin’ ’is hands like this all the time, ‘must I chuck away my pension, sub-lootenant or no sub-lootenant? Look at ’em,’ he says, ‘only look at ’em. Marines fallin’ in for small-arm drill!’ “The leathernecks was layin’ aft at the double, an’ a more insanitary set of accidents I never wish to behold. Most of ’em was in their shirts. They had their trousers on, of course—rolled up nearly to the knee, but what I mean is belts over shirts. Three or four ’ad _our_ caps, an’ them that had drawn helmets wore their chin-straps like Portugee earrings. Oh, yes; an’ three of ’em ’ad only one boot! I knew what our bafflin’ tattics was goin’ to be, but even I was mildly surprised when this gay fantasia of Brazee drummers halted under the poop, because of an ’ammick in charge of our Navigator, an’ a small but ’ighly efficient landin’-party. “‘’Ard astern both screws!’ says the Navigator. ‘Room for the captain’s ’ammick!’ The captain’s servant—Cockburn ’is name was—had one end, an’ our newly promoted Antonio, in a blue slop rig, ’ad the other. They slung it from the muzzle of the port poop quick-firer thort-ships to a stanchion. Then the old man flickered up, smokin’ a cigarette, an’ brought ’is stern to an anchor slow an’ oriental. “‘What a blessin’ it is, Mr. Ducane,’ ’e says to our sub-lootenant, ‘to be out o’ sight o’ the ’ole pack o’ blighted admirals! What’s an admiral after all?’ ’e says. ‘Why, ’e’s only a post-captain with the pip, Mr. Ducane. The drill will now proceed. What O! Antonio, _descendez_ an’ get me a split.’