"Another such threat as that, sir, and you will be disarmed."
Terry walked away and stood aside, gazing out to sea, while Syd could
not help thinking that if his messmate had a favourable opportunity and
could do it unseen, he would not scruple to use his pistol, or to push
him over the steep cliff.
The thoughts were dismissed directly and forgotten in the busy toil, the
men rigging up the tackle, dismounting the gun, and packing it once more
in one of the water-casks, ready for rolling down to the new platform,
which was slowly progressing, but not yet ready for its reception. So
the one party was piped to refreshments, after which, the place being
declared sufficiently advanced, the second party took the place of the
first for rest and food, while with a cheer the gun-carriage was dragged
below, then the tackle was rigged over it, and the gun rolled down,
hauled into its place, and by the time darkness had quite set in, the
fresh one-gun battery was in working order.
"Where's Terry?" said Syd, about this time.
"Sulking," said Roylance, laughing. "What did you say to him? You are
getting an awfully great fellow, Belton, to calm him down like that. I
say, how old are you?"
"Nearly seventeen. Why?"
"Are you sure it isn't a mistake?"
"Quite."
"Because you are going on over this like a fellow of twenty-seventeen.
What do you think one of the men said just now?"
"How should I know?"
"He said that when this little job was over you ought to be promoted and
have a ship of your own, and old Strake turned upon him sharply to say,
`Well, why not?'"
"I? A ship!" laughed Syd; "and this is my first voyage. Why, you have
been three."
"Yes, but then your people have always been sailors, and it's born with
you. My father's a clergyman. Well, when you do have a ship by and by,
if you don't have me for first luff, I'll call you a brute."
"Wait twenty years, then, till I get my ship," said Syd; and he went off
to see to the watch.