Chapter XXXII
Listeners never hear any good of themselves.
Vanslyperken was awakened three hours after he had fallen asleep by the
noise of the buckets washing the decks. He heard the men talking on
deck, and aware that no one knew that he was on board, he rose from his
bed, and opened one of the sliding sashes of the skylight, that he might
overhear the conversation. The first words he heard were from
Bill Spurey.
"I say, Coble, I wonder what the skipper will say when he comes on
board, and finds that the dog is gone?"
"Hoh! hoh!" thought Vanslyperken.
"I arn't convinced that he is gone yet," replied Coble.
"Smallbones swears that he's settled, this time," replied Spurey.
"So he did before," replied Coble.
"Smallbones again," thought Vanslyperken. "I'll--Smallbones him, if I
hang for it."
"Why, he says he buried him two feet deep."
"Ay, ay; but what's the use of burying an animal who's not a human
creature? For my part, I say this, that the imp belongs to his master,
and is bound to serve him as long as his master lives. When he dies the
dog may be killed, and then----"
"Then what?"
"Why, with the blessing of God, they'll both go to hell together, and I
don't care how soon.
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