At last he ventured to approach
the object of his visit. He said, "Now, Captain, we have had
a pleasant little chat; I should like to have your views
before I go, on the Plimsoll agitation. They may be of value
to me. I should like you to state also what you think of
Plimsoll. I have heard varied opinions of him."
"Well," said the captain, in broad North Shields dialect,
"you ask what I think of the agitation. My opinion is that
all the skallywags who are taking part in it should be
locked up, and have the cat every morning at five o'clock,
and every hour of the day after, until they abstain from
meddling with what they know nothing about! And as for
Plimsoll, I would tie one end of a rope round his neck, and
attach the other to a fire bar, and chuck him in there,"
pointing to the ebbing stream of the Danube!
"Then," said Mr. Plimsoll, "you are not in sympathy with the
movement?"
"No," said the infuriated skipper, "and nobody but a ----
fool would be!"
"But don't you think, Captain," said Mr. Plimsoll, "that the
measures you suggest are somewhat extreme, for after all
they are only trying to improve the condition of the
seamen?"
"Seamen be d----d," said this meteoric Northumbrian.
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