“And you won’t tell?”

“No,” shrieked the lad—­“no, never, never, never!”

“Corporal Van Spitter, over with him,” cried Vanslyperken in a rage, when a sudden stir was heard amongst the men aft, and as the corporal raised up the light frame of the culprit, to carry it to the gunnel, to the astonishment of Vanslyperken, of the corporal, and of Smallbones, Snarleyyow appeared on the forecastle, and made a rush at Smallbones, as he lay in the corporal’s arms, snapped at his leg, and then set up his usual deep baying, “bow, bow, bow!”

The re-appearance of the dog created no small sensation—­Vanslyperken felt that he had now no reason for keel-hauling Smallbones, which annoyed him as much as the sight of the dog gave him pleasure.  The corporal, who had dropped Smallbones on the snow, was also disappointed.  As for Smallbones, at the baying of the dog, he started up on his knees, and looked at it as if it were an apparition, with every demonstration of terror in his countenance; his eyes glared upon the animal with horror and astonishment, and he fell down in a swoon.  The whole of the ship’s company were taken aback—­they looked at one another and shook their heads—­one only remark was made by Jansen, who muttered, “De tog is no tog a’ter all.”

Mr Vanslyperken ordered Smallbones to be taken below, and then walked aft; perceiving Obadiah Coble, he inquired whence the dog had come, and was answered that he had come off in the boat which he had taken on shore for fresh beef and vegetables.  Mr Vanslyperken made no reply, but, with Snarleyyow at his heels, went down into the cabin.

Chapter XI

In which Snarleyyow does not at all assist his master’s cause with the Widow Vandersloosh.

It will be necessary to explain to the reader by what means the life of our celebrated cur was preserved.  When Smallbones had thrown him into the canal, tied up, as he supposed, in his winding-sheet, what Mr Vanslyperken observed was true, that there were people below, and the supposed paving-stone might have fallen upon them:  the voices which he heard were those of father and son, who were in a small boat going from a galliot to the steps where they intended to land; for this canal was not like most others, with the water in it sufficiently high to enable people to step from the vessel’s gunnel to the jetty.  Snarleyyow fell in his bag a few yards ahead of the boat, and the splash naturally attracted their attention; he did not sink immediately, but floundered and struggled so as to keep himself partly above water.

“What is that?” exclaimed the father to his son, in Dutch.

“Mein Gott! who is to know?—­but we will see;” and the son took the boat-hook, and with it dragged the bread-bags towards the boat, just as they were sinking, for Snarleyyow was exhausted with his efforts.  The two together dragged the bags with their contents into the boat.