The Poacher Part 20

"Yes, I do," replied Joey; "good night."

Mrs Chopper left the room. Joey threw open the window--for he was almost suffocated--undressed himself, put out the light, and, when he had said his prayers, his thoughts naturally reverted to the little Emma who had knelt with him on the road-side.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

IN WHICH OUR HERO GOES ON DUTY.

At five o'clock the next morning Joey was called up by Mrs Chopper; the waterman was in attendance, and, with the aid of Joey, carried down the various articles into the boat. When all was ready, Mrs Chopper and Joey sat down to their breakfast, which consisted of tea, bread and b.u.t.ter, and red herrings; and, as soon as it was finished, they embarked, and the boat shoved off.

"Well, Mrs Chopper," said the waterman, "so I perceive you've got a new hand."

"Yes," replied Mrs Chopper; "don't you think he's the moral of poor Peter?"

"Well, I don't know; but there is a something about the cut of his jib which reminds me of him, now you mention it. Peter was a good boy."

"Aye, that he was, and as sharp as a needle. You see," said Mrs Chopper, turning to Joey, "sharp's the word in a b.u.mboat. There's many who pay, and many who don't; some I trust, and some I don't--that is, those who won't pay me old debts. We lose a bit of money at times, but it all comes round in the end; but I lose more by not booking the things taken than in any other way, for sailors do pay when they have the money--that is, if ever they come back again, poor fellows. Now, Peter."

"What! is his name Peter, too?"

"Yes, I must call him Peter, William; he is so like poor Peter."

"Well, that will suit me; I hate learning new names."

"Well, but, Peter," continued Mrs Chopper, "you must be very careful; for, you see, I'm often called away here and there after wash clothes and such things; and then you must look out, and if they do take up anything, why, you must book it, at all events. You'll learn by-and-bye who to trust, and who not to trust; for I know the most of my customers.

You must not trust a woman--I mean any of the sailors' wives--unless I tell you; and you must be very sharp with them, for they play all manner of tricks; you must look two ways at once. Now, there's a girl on board the brig we are pulling to, called Nancy; why, she used to weather poor Peter, sharp as he was. She used to pretend to be very fond of him, and hug him close to her with one arm, so as to blind him, while she stole the tarts with the other; so, don't admit her familiarities; if you do, I shall pay for them."

"Then, who am I to trust?"

"Bless the child! you'll soon find out that; but mind one thing; never trust a tall, lanky seaman without his name's on the books; those chaps never pay. There's the book kept by poor Peter; and you see names upon the top of each score--at least, I believe so; I have no learning myself, but I've a good memory; I can't read nor write, and that's why Peter was so useful."

That Peter could read his own writing it is to be presumed; but certain it was that Joey could not make it out until after many days examination, when he discovered that certain hieroglyphics were meant to represent certain articles; after which it became more easy.

They had now reached the side of the vessel, and the sailors came down into the boat, and took up several articles upon credit; Joey booked them very regularly.

"Has Bill been down yet?" said a soft voice from the gangway.

"No, Nancy, he has not."

"Then he wants two red herrings, a sixpenny loaf, and some 'baccy."

Joey looked up, and beheld a very handsome, fair, blue-eyed girl with a most roguish look, who was hanging over the side.

"Then he must come himself, Nancy," replied Mrs Chopper, "for, you know, the last time you took up the things he said that you were never told to do so, and he would not pay for them."

"That's because the fool was jealous; I lost the tobacco, Mrs Chopper, and he said I had given it to d.i.c.k Snapper."

"I can't help that; he must come himself."

"But he's away in the boat, and he told me to get the things for him.

Who have you there? Not Peter; no, it's not Peter; but, what a dear little boy."

"I told you so," said Mrs Chopper to our hero; "now, if I wasn't in the boat, she would be down in it in a minute, and persuade you to let her have the things--and she never pays."

Joey looked up again, and, as he looked at Nancy, felt that it would be very unkind to refuse her.

"Now, what a hard-hearted old woman you are, Mrs Chopper. Bill will come on board; and, as sure as I stand here, he'll whack me. He will pay you, you may take my word for it."

"Your word, Nancy!" replied Mrs Chopper, shaking her head.

"Stop a moment," said Nancy, coming down the side with very little regard as to showing her well-formed legs; "stop, Mrs Chopper, and I'll explain to you."

"It's no use coming down, Nancy, I tell you," replied Mrs Chopper.

"Well, we shall see," replied Nancy, taking her seat in the boat, and looking archly in Mrs Chopper's face; "the fact is Mrs Chopper, you don't know what a good-tempered woman you are."

"I know, Nancy, what you are," replied Mrs Chopper.

"Oh, so does everybody: I'm n.o.body's enemy but my own, they say."

"Ah! that's very true, child; more's the pity."

"Now, I didn't come down to wheedle you out of anything, Mrs Chopper, but merely to talk to you, and look at this pretty boy."

"There you go, Nancy; but ain't he like Peter?"

"Well, and so he is! very like Peter; he has Peter's eyes and his nose, and his mouth is exactly Peter's--how very strange!"

"I never see'd such a likeness!" exclaimed Mrs Chopper.

"No, indeed," replied Nancy, who, by agreeing with Mrs Chopper in all she said, and praising Joey, and his likeness to Peter, at last quite came over the old b.u.mboat-woman; and Nancy quitted her boat with the two herrings, the loaf; and the paper of tobacco.

"Shall I put them down, Mrs Chopper?" said Joey.

"Oh, dear," replied Mrs Chopper, coming to her recollection, "I'm afraid that it's no use; but put them down, anyhow; they will do for bad debts. Shove off, William, we must go to the large s.h.i.+p now."

"I do wish that that Nancy was at any other port," exclaimed Mrs Chopper, as they quitted the vessel's side; "I do lose so much money by her."

"Well," said the waterman, laughing, "you're not the only one; she can wheedle man or woman, or, as they say, the devil to boot, if she would try."

During the whole of the day the wherry proceeded from s.h.i.+p to s.h.i.+p, supplying necessaries; in many instances they were paid for in ready money, in others Joey's capabilities were required, and they were booked down against the customers. At last, about five o'clock in the evening, the beer-barrel being empty, most of the contents of the baskets nearly exhausted, and the wherry loaded with the linen for the wash, biscuits, empty bottles, and various other articles of traffic or exchange, Mrs Chopper ordered William, the waterman, to pull on sh.o.r.e to the landing-place.

As soon as the baskets and other articles had been carried up to the house, Mrs Chopper sent out for the dinner, which was regularly obtained from a cook's-shop. Joey sat down with her, and when his meal was finished, Mrs Chopper told him he might take a run and stretch his legs a little if he pleased, while she tended to the linen which was to go to the wash. Joey was not sorry to take advantage of this considerate permission, for his legs were quite cramped from sitting so long jammed up between baskets of eggs, red herrings, and the other commodities which had encompa.s.sed him.

We must now introduce Mrs Chopper to the reader a little more ceremoniously. She was the widow of a boatswain, who had set her up in the b.u.mboat business with some money he had acquired a short time before his death, and she had continued it ever since on her own account.

People said that she was rich, but riches are comparative, and if a person in a seaport town, and in her situation, could show 200 or 300 pounds at her bankers, she was considered rich. If she was rich in nothing else, she certainly was in bad and doubtful debts, having seven or eight books like that which Joey was filling up for her during the whole day, all containing accounts of long standing, and most of which probably would stand for ever; but if the bad debts were many, the profits were in proportion; and what with the long standing debts being occasionally paid, the ready-money she continually received, and the profitable traffic which she made in the way of exchange, etcetera, she appeared to do a thriving business, although it is certain the one-half of her goods were as much given away as were the articles obtained from her in the morning by Nancy.