"Martain Rattler" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ballantyne R.M)

"Come, come, Bob! " cried several of the bigger boys, "don't be sulky, man;
shake hands and be. friends. Martin has licked you this time, and you'll lick
him next time, no doubt, and that's all about it."
"Arrah, then, ye're out there intirely. Bob Croaker'll niver lick Martin
Rattler, though he wos to live to the age of the great M'thuselah," said a
deep-toned voice close to the spot where the fight had taken place.
All eyes were instantly turned in the direction whence it proceeded, and the
boys now became aware, for the first time, that the combat had been witnessed by
a sailor, who, with a smile of approval beaming on his good-humoured
countenance, sat under the shade of a neighbouring tree smoking a pipe of that
excessive shortness and blackness that seems to be peculiarly beloved by
Irishmen in the humbler ranks of life. The man was very tall and
broad-shouldered, and carried himself with a free-and-easy swagger as he rose
and approached the group of boys.
"He'll niver bate ye, Martin, avic, as long as there's two timbers of ye
houldin' togither." The seaman patted Martin on the head as he spoke; and,
tuning to Bob Croaker, continued: "Ye ought to be proud, ye spalpeen, 0' bein'
wopped by sich a young hero as this. Come here and shake hands with him; d'ye
hear? Troth, an' it's besmearin' ye with too much honour that same. There,
that'll do. Don't say ye're sorry now, for it's lies ye'd be tellin' if ye did.
Come along, Martin, an' I'll convarse with ye as ye go home. Ye'll be a man yet,
as sure as my name is Barney O'Flannagan."
Martin took the white kitten in his arms and thrust its wet little body into his
equally wet bosom, where the warmth began soon to exercise a soothing influence
on the kitten's depressed spirits, so that, ere long, it began to purr. He then
walked with the sailor towards the village, with his face black and blue, and
swelled and covered with blood, while Bob Croaker and his companions returned to
the school.
The distance to Martin's residence was not great, but it was sufficient to
enable the voluble Irishman to recount a series of the most wonderful adventures
and stories of foreign lands that set Martin's heart on fire with desire to go
to sea - a desire which was by no means new to him, and which recurred violently
every time he paid a visit to the small seaport of Bilton, which lay about five
miles to the southward of his native village. Moreover, Barney suggested that it
was time Martin should be doing for himself (he was now ten years old), and said
that if he would join his ship he could get him a berth, for he was much in want
of an active lad to help him with the coppers. But Martin Rattler sighed deeply,
and said that, although his heart was set upon going to sea, he did not see how
it was to be managed, for his aunt would not let him go.
Before they separated, however, it was arranged that Martin should pay the
sailor's ship a visit, when he would hear a good deal more about foreign lands;
and that, in the meantime, he should make another attempt to induce Aunt Dorothy
Grumbit to give her consent to his going to sea.
[CONTENTS]



CHAPTER IV
A lesson to all stocking-knitters - Martin's prospects begin to open up
IN THE small seaport of Bilton, before mentioned, there dwelt an old and wealthy