The screw steamer Jenny Jones was lying alongside a coal-hulk at Gibraltar one
October afternoon. By three o'clock her bunkers were nearly filled, and the
captain was getting ready for casting off, when one of the natives came on board.
Captain Hindhaugh looked about for something to throw at the visitor, and only
the difficulty of selecting an efficient missile from a large and varied assortment
prevented him from letting fly at once.
The "Scorpion" said, "Ah, no, no, Capeetan! No been throw nothin' at myself.
Beesiness! I'se been com' for beesiness. Big thing, Capeetan!"
The last phrase was spoken with such a profound wink that Hindhaugh held his
hand, and, addressing the man as one would an ill-conditioned dog, said, "Don't
keep bowing and scraping there, you tastrel! Get it out sharp!"
The Scorpion whispered, "No been talk up here. Keep ship one hour, two hour,
three hour. You'se been com' with me, and I speak you somethin' myself."
Like many of his tribe, this interesting native spoke a kind of English which is not
heard anywhere else on the Mediterranean shore. A few of the people on the
Rock learn to talk very well to our men, but most of those who come about the
ships use a picturesque lingo in which "myself" the place of quite a variety of
parts of speech.
Hindhaugh invited the man below, and asked him to explain himself. The fellow
leaned over the table and chattered on, throwing quick side glances at every few
words.
"This been big thing, Capeetan. You get away a little; drop your anchor a little.
Then three felucca com' alongside, and you'se been hoist bales. Then you 'se go
where agent say you. Very big thing. Five thousand sovereign."
"What is it? tobacco?"
"That been it."
"Where for?"
"Huelva."
"I'm not going out of Portuguese waters at no price."
"Ah, no, no, Cheesu, Capeetan--no! Five mile. We have felucca there ready. I 'se
been see him myself."
"What's the figure? what's the money?"
"You com' 'shore and see agent with myself."
Hindhaugh put a revolver in his pocket and went on deck; the Scorpion got
ashore, and hung about with an air of innocence. The captain was about to follow
when the man in charge of the hulk called out, "Do you intend to keep bumping
us like this all night? Why don't you cast off? You're knocking us all to flinders."
Hindhaugh beckoned. "Look here, my good chap, it won't matter to you for a
couple of hours. Let us lie till dusk, and then I'll get away. I've got important
business ashore."
