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“Bejimbers, Hancock,” says Treleaven, standing up and looking uneasy, “you carry it far, I must say!”

“Far? A jolly good joke, I should call it,” answers Hancock, making bold to cross his legs again.

And with that there comes a voice crying pillaloo in the passage outside; and, without so much as a knock, a woman runs in with a face like a sheet–Sam Hockaday’s wife, from the “Sailor’s Return.”

“Oh, Mr. Oke–Mr. Oke, whatever is to be done! The press has collared Sally Hancock and all her gang! Some they’ve kilt, and wounded others, and all they’ve a-bound and carried off and shipped at the Quay-door. Oh, Mr. Oke, our house is ruined for ever!”

The men gazed at her with their mouths open. Hancock found his legs somehow; but they shook under him, and all of a sudden he felt himself turning white and sick.

“You don’t mean to tell me–” he began.

But Pengelly rounded on him and took him by the ear so that he squeaked. “Where’s my wife, you miserable joker, you?” demanded Pengelly.

“They c-can’t be in earnest!”

“You’ll find that I am,” said Pengelly, feeling in his breeches-pocket, and drawing out a clasp-knife almost a foot long. “What’s the name of the ship?”

“I–I don’t know! I never inquired! Oh, please let me go, Mr. Pengelly! Han’t I got my feelings, same as yourself?”

“There’s a score of vessels atween this and Cawsand,” put in Treleaven, catching his breath like a man hit in the wind, “and half a dozen of ’em ready to weigh anchor any moment. There’s naught for it but to take a boat and give chase.”

Someone suggested that Sal’s own boat, the Indefatigable Woman, would be lying off Runnell’s Yard; and down to the waterside they all ran, Pengelly gripping the tailor by the arm. They found the gig moored there on a frape, dragged her to shore, and tumbled in. Half a dozen men seized and shipped the oars: the tailor pitched forward and driven to take the bow oar. Voices from shore sang out all manner of different advice: but twas clear that no one knew which way the press-boat had taken, nor to what ship she belonged.

To Hancock ’twas all like a sick dream. He hated the water; he had on his thinnest clothes; the night began to strike damp and chilly, with a lop of tide running up from Hamoaze and the promise of worse below. Pengelly, who had elected himself captain, swore to hail every ship he came across: and he did–though from the first he met with no encouragement. “Ship, ahoy!” he shouted, coming down with a rush upon the stern-windows of the first and calling to all to hold water. “Ahoy! Ship!”

A marine poked his head over the taffrail. “Ship it is,” said he. “And what may be the matter with you?”

“Be you the ship that has walked off with half a dozen women from Saltash?”

The marine went straight off and called the officer of the watch, “Boat-load of drunk chaps under our stern, Sir,” says he, saluting. “Want to know if we’ve carried off half a dozen women from Saltash.”

“Empty a bucket of slops on ’em,” said the officer of the watch, “and tell ’em, with my compliments, that we haven’t.”

The marine saluted, hunted up a slop-bucket, and poured it over with the message. “If you want to know more, try the guard-ship,” said he.

“That’s all very well, but where in thunder be the guard-ship?” said poor Pengelly, scratching his head.

Everyone knew, but everyone differed by something between a quarter and half a mile. They tried ship after ship, getting laughter from some and abuse from others. And now, to make matters worse, the wind chopped and blew up from the sou’-west, with a squall of rain and a wobble of sea that tried Hancock’s stomach sorely. At one time they went so far astray in the dark as to hail one of the prison-hulks, and only sheered off when the sentry challenged and brought his musket down upon the bulwarks with a rattle. A little later, off Torpoint, they fell in with the water-police, who took them for a party rowing home to Plymouth from the Regatta, and threatened ’em with the lock-up if they didn’t proceed quiet. Next they fell foul of the guard-ship, and their palaver fetched the Admiral himself out upon the little balcony in his nightshirt. When he’d done talking they were a hundred yards off, and glad of it.