Winchester has his hands full of them. I
often wonder at his patience, sir."
"We were young once ourselves, Clinch, and ought to be indulgent to the
follies of youth. But what sort of a berth did you find last night upon
the rocks yonder?"
"Why, sir, as good as one can expect out of Old England. I fell in with
an elderly woman calling herself Giuntotardi--which is regular built
Italian, isn't it, sir?"
"That it is--but, you speak the language, I believe, Clinch?"
"Why, sir, I've been drifting about the world so long, that I speak a
little of everything, finding it convenient when I stand in need of
victuals and drink. The old lady on the hill and I overhauled a famous
yarn between us, sir. It seems she has a niece and a brother at Naples,
who ought to have been back night before last; and she was in lots of
tribulation about them, wanting to know if our ship had seen anything of
the rovers."
"By George, Clinch, you were on the soundings there, had you but known
it! Our prisoner has been in that part of the world, and we might get
some clue to his manoeuvres, by questioning the old woman closely. I
hope you parted good friends?"
"The best in the world, Captain Cuffe. No one that feeds and lodges _me_
well, need dread me as an enemy!"
"I'll warrant it! That's the reason you are so loyal, Clinch?"
The hard, red face of the master's mate worked a little, and, though he
could not well look all sorts of colors, he looked all ways but in his
captain's eye.
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