He found the task harder
than he had anticipated, but he did it without a pause. He was glad,
however, when the two sailors above grasped him by the arms, and
placed him beside them on the main top.
"Well, sir," one said, admiringly, "we thought you was a Johnny
Newcome, by the way you went up the ratlines, but you came up that
rope like a monkey.
"Well, sir, you are free up here, and if you weren't it would not make
much odds to you, for it would take half the ship's company to capture
you."
"I don't want to get off paying my footing," Dick said, pulling five
shillings from his pocket and handing them to the sailors; for his
mother had told him that it was the custom, on first going aloft, to
make a present to them, and had given him the money for the purpose.
"I can climb, but I don't know anything about ropes, and I shall be
very much obliged if you will teach me all you can."
Chapter 2: A Brush With Privateers.
Dick was surprised when, on descending to the deck, he found that what
seemed to him a by no means very difficult feat had attracted general
attention. Not only did half a dozen of the sailors pat him on the
back, with exclamations expressive of their surprise and admiration,
but the other midshipmen spoke quite as warmly, the eldest saying:
"I could have got up the rope, Holland, but I could not have gone up
straight, as you did, without stopping for a bit to take breath.
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