Afternoon Aloft, 1st July

" 'Member to run the tailin' end round the standin' part. S'fine else." he advised. He paused to think back to his early days as a topman and grinned. "It was ol' Johnny Dixon what learned me most of it, 'cludin' how to take a floggin'."

"Oh yeah," he said, doing so. He chewed his lip, wanting to ask but not quite sure if he was risking a clip round the ear. "Was you... was flogged afore you come 'board Terpsy?"

He nodded. "Aye. Coupla times. Weren't so bad after the first 'un though."

Terry hunched his thin shoulders a little. "It looks pretty bad'n'all," he said, thinking that the cane was quite bad enough.

Chase grinned. "Oh it hurts like the very devil, 'specially the first time. Even if the lads get you a tot or two on the sly 'fore it happens."

"Whyn't it hurt so much after, then?" It didn't make sense - the cane or birch hurt the same every time, and so did that horrible tawse of Mister Foxley's. Terry flexed his hand, remembering that. The tawse was probably worse because he expected you to get right on working afterwards, and of course he'd done it right across your hands.

At least he was working for Mister Leat now, and he was a lot nicer than horrible old Mister Foxley.

" 'Cause you knows what it's like, 'stead of it bein' somethin' you ain't ever been through before. Sorta like... the first time a lad goes aloft. It's somethin' dead frightenin', 'cause he ain't done it before. But after that first time, it ain't so bad, 'cause he's done it already."

"Oh." He hadn't thought of it like that. "But... ain't it worser, knowin' what it's like? I mean, when Mister Foxley..." He realised what he was saying and shut up. "Got any uvver knots to show us, then?" he said instead, holding up the length of spun-yarn.

The question made Chase shrug. "I ain't thought it does," he said. "Bowline on a bight, quick's you can."

That was the one where the loop went through and over the knot, wasn't it? He started, fumbled it and had to start again. "Ain't ever gonna be so fast as you," he said, holding up the completed knot.

"Takes time, and practisin'. You'll get it." Chase smirked and fished out his tobacco pouch. "I weren't anythin' fast meself when I was learnin' it all."

Terry looked askance at that piece of information. Chase was good at sailoring - he wouldn't be an Able seaman if he wasn't, that stood to reason. "'Ow fast c'n you tie it then?" he asked, curious. It was faster than Terry could do it, of course. "An'... can you tie a bowline one-'anded like Chicken can?"

"Fast 'nuff." He took the twine and removed the knot, then tied it again with his usual speed. "Nothin' to it, once you got it down. Same's a one-hand bowline." Chase demonstrated this as well, using the unknotted end of the twine.

"How'd you do that?" It looked something like magic, to Terry. "I mean, wiv on'y one 'and."

"Practise," said Chase. "S'how a lad learns anythin' so well that it sticks in his head."

"Yeah, but 'ow d'you do it? Was so fast I couldn't see it!" It must have been magic otherwise. "I c'n on'y just do it wiv two 'ands!"

With a grin, Chase showed him, each movement kept slow so the lad could see. "Could do that'n in me sleep."

"Like... Like this?" Terry asked trying on his own piece of spun-yarn. "Um. Mebbe not, then. What'd I do wrong?"

His hands were a lot smaller than Cob Chase's toughened hands, and a lot smoother too, though they were still roughened by the work he'd done ever since he could remember - picking oakum, for the most part.

"Here." Chase reached to guide the lad's hands through the necessary steps. "Only thing is to keep your hand getting caught in it, really."

"Oh." That was what had happened then. He grinned as the loop obediently appeared in the cord. "Wonder 'oo first figgered that out, then. That's prime twig, that is."

"Prob'ly some Tar. It'd only be right!" Chase ruffled Button's hat. "Now let's see you try it again."

"Gerroff that!" he said, putting a hand up to straighten it out. "'S my 'at, that is!" He tried it again, though it had to help it along with his free hand partway through. "Shit."

"You got the mouth of a Tar, anyways," Chase remarked lightly.

"Ain't my fault it didn' wanna do it right," the boy retorted, scowling at the string.

He shrugged, managing to stifle a grin. "Try sittin' on your lee'ard hand, an' see how it goes."