"Obey orders, if you break owners!" said he.
"Break hearts," he meant to have said; and lent a hand to get her over
the side, trying to make it as easy for her as possible. We got a whip
up on the main-yard, and hooking it to a strap around her body, swayed
away; and giving a wink to one another, ran her chock up to the
yard. "'Vast there! 'vast!" said the mate; "none of your skylarking!
Lower away!" But he evidently enjoyed the joke. The pig squealed
like the "crack of doom," and tears stood in the poor darky's eyes;
and he muttered something about having no pity on a dumb beast.
"Dumb beast!" said Jack; "if she's what you call a dumb beast, then my
eyes a'n't mates." This produced a laugh from all but the cook. He was
too intent upon seeing her safe in the boat. He watched her all the
way ashore, where, upon her landing, she was received by a whole troop
of her kind, who had been sent ashore from the other vessels, and
had multiplied and formed a large commonwealth. From the door of his
galley, the cook used to watch them in their manoeuvres, setting up
a shout and clapping his hands whenever Bess came off victorious in
the struggles for pieces of raw hide and half-picked bones which
were lying about the beach.
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