26th May afternoon - sick berth

"Cob!" Billy exclaimed with a broad grin. "You take care o' my boat?"

"Course I did," Chase told him cheerfully. "Wasn't gonna let nobody hurt it."

Oxley moved aside as Cob Chase came in. He probably ought to slip out now, especially if that Tar's reactions were anything to go by. After all, why should they want a Marine hanging around, even if he was a drummer?

Spencer eyed Chase enviously as he nursed his wounded foot, sitting on an upturned bucket to the side of Billy's cot. He changed the subject as the drummer boy moved past him. "Here now, what about this prank o' yourn?" he asked. Everyone loved to hear about pranks.

"Oh, it was a good'n," Oxley said in reply. "You know that Buckles that Cob Chase here is sea-daddy to? Well, he wanted me to teach him the drum calls, right, just for a bit of fun. He was good at 'em, too. So we found an old red coat an' a hat an' stock, an' got 'em all together for him. An' he went on duty 'stead of me." He looked round at them. "Don't tell me you never noticed him, any of you."

With a grin, Chase swiped the rum bottle back and held it out to Oxley. "Trust them drummers, eh?"

Oxley took the bottle, grinning. "Them Shepherds helped, a lot," he said, more than willing to give credit where credit was due.

"I never noticed!" Billy laughed, forgetting that he had been in the sick berth the entire time.

"How'd you manage to convince that brat into taking part? Thought he was too high on' his horse.. forgive my saying so, Cob, .. that he'd want to do anything with us." Jeremy, a lanky Tar, tall and at the moment half bent to be comfortably seated in the sickbay, said.

" Tars, might be." John Piper muttered and drank. " But I reckon he's properly entranc'd with them Marines. You saw 'it didnae ya. Don't know why Cob don't do as his tie bud'."

Peck looked annoyed, but quiet up till then: "So, you fooled t' officers?" This perhaps would actually leave him smiling.

"Aye. Well. Mister Fletcher tried to get him below before any of the others saw, only he ran into Mister Cartwright afore he could get out of the stuff, and got sent back up ag'in. He warn't mad about it or anythin'. Least, not right then, he warn't." Oxley shrugged.

"..Well.. you'd fooled atleast some." Peck murmured not as satisfied as he could have been, but more than if Oxley told him that all officers had known it from the start. "..Congrats to that. When's your next prank to be had?"

Oxley shrugged. "Dunno yet. We ought to let things blow over a bit. Mister Cartwright thought it was good, but he didn't half give us an earful afterwards, for sure. Ain't riskin' that ag'in any time soon."

"Ye shur, it w'sh that Buckles you wus dresshing inta yourn coaties?" Peck turned on Oxley. He was drunk, so even with Cob Chase there, his respect was faltering.

"car'ful he ain't turnin' on ye next ye know." He shrugged and took a deep gulp. One of the other Tars grinned at the happy Billy and leaned closer. He was grinning as he poked the man's nose. "Heard ye got a 'ole now. Is it drafty?" All was fine and well, when a fellow Tar looked to be healing. No such joke would've been said, if Billy was getting worse.

"Oh, I'm sure it was. Warn't one of you, was it?" Oxley said, and took a healthy swallow of the rum. "He won't do that, neither. He ain't so bad, not really. Better'n he used to be, by a long shot."

"Give over," Billy said, swatting vaguely at the hand near his face. "I'm tryin' to sleep."

The Tar poked Barrow's nose again and grinned. "You've been sleepin' for ages, Billy. Come have a cheer with us!"

But Billy's eyes were closed by now, and he was too drowsy to open them again. He smiled and waved a hand. He could still participate fully even if his eyes were closed.

"Poor beggar," Chase observed as he reclaimed the bottle. "Must be in a bad state, if he ain't wantin' to keep with us."

"Can't hold his liquor," explained Samuels, who as a rather small man who rarely drank could not hold it very well himself. "He ain't been - while onna sick list he warn't allowed his ration - his grog ration - even though I snuck him somma mine. No more for me," he said as another bottle was offered around.