Portsmouth—to speak with mun, and the barge Royal lay again the Hard—so; and our boot alongside—so; and the king he standeth as it might be there, above my head, on the quay edge and she come in near abreast of us, looking most royal to behold, poor dear! and went to cast about. And Captain Will, saith he, 'Them lower ports is cruel near the water;' for she had not more than a sixteen inches to spare in the nether overloop, as I heard after. And saith he, 'That won't do for going to windward in a say, Martin.' And as the words came out of mun's mouth, your worship, there was a bit of a flaw from the westward, sharp like, and overboard goeth my cap, and hitth against the wall, and as I stooped to pick it up, I heard a cry, and it was all over!"
"He is telling of the Mary Rose, sir."
"I guessed so."
"All over: and the cry of mun, and the screech of mun! Oh, sir, up to the very heavens! And the king he screeched right out like any maid, 'Oh my gentlemen, oh my gallant men!" and as she lay on her beam-ends, sir, and just a-settling, the very last souls I seen was that man's father, and that man's. I knowed mun by their armor."
And he pointed to Sir George Carew and Sir Richard Grenvile.
'Iss! Iss! Drowned like rattens. Drowned like rattens!"
"Now; you mustn't trouble his worship any more."
"Trouble? Let him tell till midnight, I shall be well pleased," said Amyas, sitting down on the bench by him. "Drawer! ale—and a parcel of tobacco."
And Amyas settled himself to listen, while the old man purred to himself—
"Iss. They likes to hear old Martin. All the captains look upon old Martin."
"Hillo, Amyas!" said Gary, "who's your friend? Here's a man been telling me wonders about the River Plate. We should go thither for luck there next time."
"River Plate?" said old Martin; "It's I knows about the River Plate; none so well. Who'd ever been there, nor heard of it nether, before Captain Will and me went, and I lived among the savages a whole year; and audacious civil I found 'em if they'd had but shirts to their backs; and so was the prince o' mun, that Captain Will brought home to King Henry; leastwise he died on the voyage; but the wild folk took it cruel well, for you see, we was always as civil with them as Christians, and if we hadn't been, should not have been here now."
"What year was that?"
"In the fifteen thirty; but I was there afore, and learnt the speech o' mun; and that's why Captain Will left me to a hostage, when he tuked their prince."
"Before that?" said Cary; "why, the country was hardly known before that."
The old man's eyes flashed up in triumph.
