I won't hurt it." "No, I don't fancy ye will," he said, sniffing and chuckling and twitching his nose.

"I hope ye'll hurt some of those rascally pirates with it, though." The captain then opened another chest, a smaller iron one, which he also dragged out from under his bunk, unlocking it with a heavy key he took off a bunch which was hanging up on a nail over his writing-desk and throwing back the lid.
This second receptacle, we soon discovered, contained a lot of cartridges for the rifles, there being a hundred or more of various sorts, some for the breech-loaders and some for the Enfields of the old- fashioned regulation size.

There were also a variety of smaller cartridges for the revolvers, and "Old Jock" gave Tom and I each a package of these latter for our weapons.
In the chest, likewise, were two or three large flasks of powder and a lot of bullets loose, which the captain crammed into a leathern bag and told us to take on the poop with the rifles, Tom and I carrying up a couple each with the bag of bullets and powder-flasks and then returning for the rest.
In our absence "Old Jock" had ferreted out from some other hiding-place of his a couple of swords and a number of cutlasses, which he likewise directed us to take up the companion, he assisting us; until, presently, we had the whole armoury arranged on the top of the cabin skylight.
"Now, Mackay," said Captain Gillespie, blowing like a grampus after his exertions, "take y'r choice, but I think that the two best shots in the ship ought to have the Martini rifles; and if I were picking out the picked marksmen--he! he! that's a joke, `picking' and `picked,' didn't intend it though--I'd have chosen y'rself and the bosun!" Of course we all laughed at his joke, as he had taken such pains to point it out; and he was so pleased with it himself that it was some time before he could speak again, he sniffed and snorted so much.
"Not bad that, Mackay," he said; "not bad--eh?
But which of these things would ye like best--eh ?" "I think I'll take the breech-loader, sir," replied the other, suiting the action to the word and proceeding to examine the lock of one of the Martini-Henrys, which seemed to be an old acquaintance of his, for he loaded the chamber much quicker than I could manage my new acquisition; "and I don't believe you could do better than hand the other to Rooney, as you suggested.

He's the best shot in the ship, I'm certain." "Y'rself excepted," interposed the captain wonderfully politely for him; singing out loudly at the same time, "Bosun!" "Here, sorr," cried Tim, who had been waiting below close to the poop ladder, expecting the summons, and who was all agog at the prospect of a fight.

"Here I am, sorr." "Well, bosun," said Captain Gillespie, "it looks as if we'll have to fight those rascals coming up astern and making for us.