'One does one's best,' said Attwater.

'Well, now!' said Davis, 'I have seen a lot of driving in my time and

been counted a good driver myself; I fought my way, third mate, round

the Cape Horn with a push of packet rats that would have turned the

devil out of hell and shut the door on him; and I tell you, this racket

of Mr Attwater's takes the cake. In a ship, why, there ain't nothing to

it! You've got the law with you, that's what does it. But put me down on

this blame' beach alone, with nothing but a whip and a mouthful of bad

words, and ask me to... no, SIR! it's not good enough! I haven't got the

sand for that!' cried Davis. 'It's the law behind,' he added; 'it's the

law does it, every time!'

'The beak ain't as black as he's sometimes pynted,' observed Huish,

humorously.

'Well, one got the law after a fashion,' said Attwater. 'One had to be a

number of things. It was sometimes rather a bore.'

'I should smile!' said Davis. 'Rather lively, I should think!'

'I dare say we mean the same thing,' said Attwater. 'However, one way

or another, one got it knocked into their heads that they MUST work, and

they DID... until the Lord took them!'

''Ope you made 'em jump,' said Huish.

145

The Ebb-Tide