Well now , I 'm no scholar , and you 're a lad as can read and figure , and to put it straight , do you take it as a dead man is dead for good , or do he come alive again ? '' `` You can kill the body , Mr. Hands , but not the spirit ; you must know that already , '' I replied . `` O'Brien there is in another world , and may be watching us . '' `` Ah ! '' says he . `` Well , that 's unfort ` nate -- appears as if killing parties was a waste of time . Howsomever , sperrits do n't reckon for much , by what I 've seen . I 'll chance it with the sperrits , Jim . And now , you 've spoke up free , and I 'll take it kind if you 'd step down into that there cabin and get me a -- well , a -- shiver my timbers ! I ca n't hit the name on ` t ; well , you get me a bottle of wine , Jim -- this here brandy 's too strong for my head . '' Now , the coxswain 's hesitation seemed to be unnatural , and as for the notion of his preferring wine to brandy , I entirely disbelieved it . The whole story was a pretext . He wanted me to leave the deck -- so much was plain ; but with what purpose I could in no way imagine . His eyes never met mine ; they kept wandering to and fro , up and down , now with a look to the sky , now with a flitting glance upon the dead O'Brien . All the time he kept smiling and putting his tongue out in the most guilty , embarrassed manner , so that a child could have told that he was bent on some deception . I was prompt with my answer , however , for I saw where my advantage lay and that with a fellow so densely stupid I could easily conceal my suspicions to the end . `` Some wine ? '' I said . `` Far better . Will you have white or red ? ''
`` Well , I reckon it 's about the blessed same to me , shipmate , '' he XXXXX ; `` so it 's strong , and plenty of it , what 's the odds ? ''
's figure imagine leave read replied said says wanted watching