Rewards and Fairies - Penn State University

Rewards and Fairies
his waistcloths and netting tore all to pieces where the ‘“I know,” she says. “That’s why I be come.”
Spanishers had grappled, and his sides black-smeared with their ‘“But ye never foretold this”; he points to both they great
gun-blasts like candle-smoke in a bottle. We hooked on to a fleets.
lower port and hung.
‘“This don’t seem to me to make much odds compared to
‘“Oh, Mus’ Drake! Mus’ Drake!” I calls up.
what happens to a man,” she says. “Do it?”
‘He stood on the great anchor cathead, his shirt open to the ‘“Certain sure a man forgets to remember when he’s proper
middle, and his face shining like the sun.
mucked up with work. Sim,” he says to me, “we must shift
‘“Why, Sim!” he says. just like that—after twenty year! every living Spanisher round Dunkirk corner on to our Dutch
“Sim,” he says, “what brings you?”
sands before morning. The wind’ll come out of the North
‘“Pudden,” I says, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. after this calm—same as it used—and then they’re our meat.”
‘“You told me to bring cannon-shot next time, an’ I’ve ‘“Amen,” says I. “I’ve brought you what I could scutchel up
brought ‘em.”
of odds and ends. Be you hit anywhere to signify?”
‘He saw we had. He ripped out a fathom and a half o’ brim- ‘“Oh, our folk’ll attend to all that when we’ve time,” he
stone Spanish, and he swung down on our rail, and he kissed says. He turns to talk to my Aunt, while his men flew the
me before all his fine young captains. His men was swarming stuff out of our hold. I think I saw old Moon amongst ‘em,
out of the lower ports ready to unload us. When he saw how but he was too busy to more than nod like. Yet the Spanishers
I’d considered all his likely wants, he kissed me again. was going to prayers with their bells and candles before we’d
‘“Here’s a friend that sticketh closer than a brother!” he says. cleaned out the Antony. Twenty-two ton o’ useful stuff I’d
“Mistress,” he says to my Aunt, “all you foretold on me was fetched him. ‘“Now, Sim,” says my Aunt, “no more devour-
true. I’ve opened that road from the East to the West, and I’ve ing of Mus’ Drake’s time. He’s sending us home in the Bridport
buried my heart beside it. “
hoy. I want to speak to them young springalds again.”
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