Well, I don't care, I can die but
once, that's sartin sure; and he'll go to the devil, that's
sartin sure."
And Smallbones, with this comfortable assurance, continued to strike out
for the land, which, indeed, he had but little prospect of ever making.
"A shame for to come for to go to murder a poor lad three or four times
over," sputtered Smallbones, after a time, feeling his strength fail
him. He then turned on his back, to ease his arms.
"I can't do it no how, I sees that," said Smallbones, "so I may just as
well go down like a dipsey lead."
But, as he muttered this, and was making up his mind to discontinue
further exertions,--not a very easy thing to do, when you are about to
go into another world, still floating on his back, with his eyes fixed
on the starry heavens, thinking, as Smallbones afterwards narrated
himself, that there wa'n't much to live for in this here world, and
considering what there could be in that 'ere, his head struck against
something hard. Smallbones immediately turned round in the water to see
what it was, and found that it was one of the large corks which
supported a heavy net laid out across the tide for the taking of
shoal-fish.
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