"My dear," said Billy, with great
humility and placidity, "he was killing God's creatures, no allowance: *
so, ye see, to save their lives, I was _obliged._"
*Nautical phrase, meaning without stint or limit, or niggardly
admeasurement as there is of grog.
At this piece of reasoning, and the simplicity and gentle conviction with
which it was delivered, there was a roar. It subsided, and a doubt arose
whether Billy was altogether in the wrong.
"Well," said one, "I daresay life is sweet to them little creatures, if
they could speak their minds."
"I've known a ship founder in a fair breeze all along of killing 'em,"
said one old salt.
Finally, several sided with Billy, and intimated that "it served the
lubber right for not listening to _reason._" And, indeed, methinks it was
lovely and touching that so divine a ray of goodness and superior reason
should have shot from his heart or from Heaven across that poor benighted
brain.
But it must be owned his mode of showing his humanity was somewhat
excessive and abnormal, and smacked of lunacy. After this, however, the
affection of his messmates was not so contemptuous.
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