Did you ever hear such a miserable cheeky little beggar in your life?
It's of no use; we must give him a regular good towelling." "Better tell us what the luff said, Gnat," growled Barkins, in so strange an accession of gruffness that I began to laugh.
"Why, what's the matter with you ?" I said.

"Don't gruff and grow hoarse like that." "Can't help it; got a cold, I s'pose," he cried.

"But I say, stop it now; we want to be friends.

Tell us what the luff said." "Precious little," I replied.

"I did all the speaking till we went up on the quarter-deck." "Don't listen to him," cried Smith, growing wroth with me.