God knows I'm sorry for that." "Yas, sar, he was one of the finest gentlemen I ever knowed was Captain Tomlinson; a brave man and a good navigator.

And he'd taken a powerful fancy to you, for when you got that crack on the head, he picked up your gun, and began blazing away, with words I should never have expected from a religious man.

The others, except our special friend--" "Let's call him Tobias from now on, Tom," I interposed.
"Well him, sar, kept his nerve, but the others ran for the boats as if the devil was after them; but the captain's gun was quicker, and only four of them got to the _Susan B._ The other two fell on their faces, as if something had tripped them up, in a couple of feet of water.

But, just then, Tobias hit the captain right in the heart; ah! if only he had one of those skins--but he always laughed off such things as superstitious.
"There was only me and Tobias then, and the dog, for the engineer boy had gone on his knees to the _Susan B._ fellows, at the first crack, and begged them to take him away with them.

I wouldn't have thought it of him--for he wasn't afraid o' them sharks, sar, as you saw, but I suppose it was thinking of his gal--anyway he went off a-praying and blubbering with what was left of the crew of the _Susan B.,_ who seemed too scared to notice him, and so let him come; and, as I was saying, there was no one left but Tobias and the dog and me, and I was sure my end was not far off, for I was never much of a shot.
"As God is my witness, sar, I was ready to die, and there was a moment when I thought that the time had come and Martha was calling me; but Tobias suddenly walked away to the top of the bluff and called out to the _Susan B._ that was just running up her sails.