Afternoon Aloft, 1st July

"You's joshin' me, hafta be," he said, giving the Tar a sidelong glance, but untied the knot and did as he was told, before trying it again. "You ever seen a mermaid or anyfin'?" he asked, trying to shake the loop off his hand. "There!" he said proudly, holding it up, though it wasn't as tight as if he'd used both hands.

A mermaid? "Only once. Headin' for Gibraltar. Beautiful thing she was, too. But they are, like." He grinned, again. "Good lad! A bit of thinkin' solves most problems, see. Like that."

"Dunno that I fink any too good, though," Terry replied with a sigh. If he could, why had the purser always said he was stupid? He wanted to hear more about the mermaid, though. "What'd she look like? Where was you when you seen her? What was she doin'?"

"Sure you do. Leastaways you thought 'bout how to do up that bowline with only one hand, didn't you? 'Stead of just sayin' it ain't possible."

Chase scratched at his ear and thought for a moment. "She were 'bout me own height, an' pretty's an angel. Shimmerin' hair an' eyes what was the colour of the sea. She were swimmin' 'longside of us, when I seen her. Waved at me too, she did. I near to pitched straight over the side tryin' to see her better."

"Mmhmm," Terry said, unconvinced, though he perked up when Chase went on to talk about the mermaid. "She waved atchoo? How'd you know it wuz you she wuz aimin' fer?"

" 'Cause I were the only one near the starboard cathead when she came 'longside." Chase was fairly beaming. "Best coupla minutes of me life."

"You ain't s'posed to go swimmin' off'f the cathead when a ship's sailin' some," Terry said sagely. "Even I knows that'n!" He grinned and plonked himself back down on the deck, pulling his thin bare legs in so he was sitting cross-legged. "How come ya didn't taker a header in, then?"

He shook his head. "Mate of mine hauled me back in. S'pose I owe him for it!"

"Didn't 'e see 'er an' all, though?" Terry asked, leaning forward, the spun-yarn forgotten in his lap.

"Nope. I reckon he'd have gone over with me if he had."

Maybe it was just as well he hadn't seen her, then. "That the on'y time you've seen a mermaid? What about monsters an' stuff?" Someone had said something about the kraken, that time he'd been on watch with them - when he'd been shoved by that idiot landlubber? He couldn't remember if it was Chase, Dyer or even Barrow.

"Aye. Unfortunately. I'd have not been sorry to see her again, either." Chase sighed, then shrugged. "Mebbe you'll get to see one your own self, some day."

Terry wondered if he would. It didn't seem likely, but then, just being here - wherever it was! - hadn't been very likely. He'd been further from London than the Master and the folks at the Society ever had, he was sure of that.

"Rather see a mermaid than a... than a sea-monster," he said, twisting his fingers together before picking at a bit of tar ingrained under a fingernail.

"Sensible, that. Now. Bowline on a bight." He didn't bother to conceal his smile. The lad would practise these knots till he knew them by heart if Chase had anything to do with it.

"Huh? Oh." He'd forgotten about the knots and the spun-yarn and fumbled for it to tie the knot in for Chase's approval. "D'you got any good yarns at all?" he asked, holding the string out so Chase could check it.

"Gettin' better, you are. Course I got some good yarns. Wouldn't be right, else. What sorta yarn you wantin'?"

"Reelly?" Terry looked up, a shy but proud grin on his thin face. "Dunno. Um. Summat 'bout your first ship, when you was a nipper, mebbe? Or, well, anyfin' you like."

He nodded his approval. "Aye. Quick learnin' is a good thing. An' a yarn from alla way back when I were your own age? I dunno's I can think back that far." Chase grinned and winked. He already had a tale in mind.

"Me first cap'n were Cap'n Butterfield. He were a decent sort, if a bit 'ticular 'bout the lads an' how they dressed. He liked a smart crew what knew their business, he did. Odd sorta thing but it worked. Anyways. I joined her just 'fore she went off cruisin', only havin' what was on me back. I weren't all that clean neither, 'cause I spent most of me time till then round me da's shop. Which weren't gonna work for the cap'n, like. So..."

He couldn't think back as far as that? Terry revised his estimation of Chase's age up somewhat, but looked up at the Tar with an expectant look on his face.

He wasn't disappointed as Chase began to talk.

"So," Chase continued after a pause in which he'd tucked a pinch of tobacco into his cheek. "I got sent right to the foc's'le with a bos'un's mate, an' stripped off alla me duds. The bos'un's mate knots up a bowline, like you been doin', an' slips it over me head, down so it's under me arms, like. Then he hands me a brush an' says, "Y'got a minute to scrub yerself once yer over."

He paused to lean over the bulwark to spit some tobacco juice into the sea.

For some reason, it brought to mind the scrubbing Terry and the other boys had had not so very long ago, and he shivered in sympathy - sea-water was cold.

"Ya didn't drop the brush?" he said, wide-eyed.

Shaking his head, Chase answered, "Nope. Didn't dare do anythin' 'cept what he said. So I got the brush in me hands, both of 'em, an' the bos'un's mate says to scrub fast. Then he waves at a couple lads what're standin' near the pinrail, an' the next thing I knows I'm swingin' up over the rail an' down into the bay. Bit of a shock, that!"

Terry just bet it was. "They dunked you right inna water?!" At least he and the others had been on the solid safety of the deck.

"Aye. Right down in. Cornish water's fair bloody cold, too. I scrubbed all over, fast's I could. Twice, even. Weren't gonna go back in after they hauled me out again!"

Terry had known Chase wasn't from London, but wasn't sure where Corn... Corn-something actually was. "I know that feelin' an' all," he said feelingly.