Wouldn't ye?"
"No, sir," said Jimmy, "we wouldn't turn up our nose at anything good to
eat."
"I could eat the oarlocks this minute!" broke in Bobby.
At which Captain Higgles exclaimed, "My eyes! Oh, my eyes!" and indulged
in another burst of hearty guffaws.
"Well, b'ys," said the captain, "I know how you feels, an' I knows where
you'll get th' tea and th' biscuit. An' th' cook aboard th' _Good an'
Sure_'ll show you."
"Thank you," said Bobby.
'"Twere lucky I sees you," continued the captain. "There's a sick lad
with a rash aboard, an' it's a wonderful troublesome rash, and makes he
sick. I were just turnin' in t' see Skipper Ed, thinkin' he might know
what t' do for the little lad t' relieve he, when we sights you."
"What, sir!" exclaimed Jimmy, "are we as far south as that?"
"Aye," said the captain, "we're just t' th' s'uth'ard o' Skipper Ed's
fishin' place. An' weren't you comin' from there when you goes adrift?"
"No, sir," explained Jimmy. "Partner and I are down at Itigailit Island
with Abel Zachariah this year, and we went adrift from there."
"An' there we goes, then!" said the captain. "Another hour's sail, but
time saved. Lucky for you that we sights you, an' lucky for th' sick
lad, an' lucky for me--lucky all around. My eyes! 'Tis like t' be a
lucky day."
And so it came about that Bobby and Jimmy were presently aboard the
_Good and Sure_, satisfying an accumulated and vast appetite upon
Captain Higgles' good hardtack and tea, while the schooner laid her
course for Itigailit Island.
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