[On Board the Esmeralda by John Conroy Hutcheson]@TWC D-Link book
On Board the Esmeralda

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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It, really, almost made me feel sorry for him! "You lying thing!" he cried to Mr Macdougall in withering accents, the scorn of which was more than I could express in words.

"I can't call you a man, and you aren't a sailor, by Jove, for sailors don't behave like that to poor friendless orphan boys! You have told me a heap of falsehoods about this whole occurrence from first to last, and I despise you from the bottom of my soul for the way in which you have acted throughout.

I'm only sorry we're at sea, for you shouldn't stop an hour longer in my ship if I could help it!" "But, Cap'en," interposed Mr Macdougall, feebly, trying to ward off the storm of the skipper's wrath, "the ill favourt loon provokit me, and was mair than inseelent." "Phaugh, man!" exclaimed Captain Billings, with intense disgust.

"Don't try and excuse yourself; it only makes matters much worse! I don't mind your knocking the lad down, and I daresay Leigh would forgive you for that, too; but what I am indignant at is the fact of your telling such a gross lie about the transaction, and allowing me to take an unjust view of the quarrel--making me disrate the young fellow, and punish him as I did, under a false, impression of what his conduct had been, all of which a word from you might have altered! Besides, just think how in your conceited ignorance you nearly wrecked the ship and sacrificed all our lives through your refusal to take a hint from the lad as to our position.

Why, I don't mind receiving a suggestion from the humblest foremast hand any day!" "But--" put in the mate again, trying to defend himself.
His appeal, however, was in vain, for the skipper would not listen to him for a moment.
"You had better go below, Mr Macdougall," he said.


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