Bruff

“ But we must have no fighting. Let’s see if we can’t make them friends. Can you manage your dog?”
“Oh, yes!” said Mark laughing. “I can make him do what I like. Here, Bruff.”
The dog came to him sidewise, keeping an eye on the monkey; and as soon as Morgan saw that Bruff was held by the collar he turned to the monkey.
“Here, Jack, come down!”
The monkey paid no heed, but swung himself to and fro, straining out his neck to peep round the mate and get a look at the dog.
“Do you hear, sir! come down!” cried the mate. ”

“ Mark was kneeling and holding Bruff with a hand on each side of the collar, and as the piteous moan arose the dog uttered a sharp bark.
“Good dog, then! Find him, boy!” cried Mark; and as the moaning continued, the dog went scuffling and scratching over the cargo, snuffing here and there, and uttering a bark from time to time.
“No, no, not there,” cried the second-mate.
“Let the dog be,” said the first; and the result was that Bruff suddenly stopped a dozen yards away from them toward the forecastle, and began scratching and barking loudly. ”

“ Anything less likely to form a fortnight’s amusement for a lad than the iron-pipes, crooks, bends, elbows, syphons and boiler delivered by waggon from the nearest railway, it would be hard to conceive. But to Vane they were a source of endless delight, and it thoroughly puzzled him to find Bruff, the gardener, muttering and grumbling about their weight. ”

“ The scene was curious, for as soon as Bruff was set at liberty he stared up at the monkey and began walking round and round, while after carefully lifting its tail with one hand, as if in dread that it might be seized, an act which would have required a ten-feet jump, the monkey went on chattering loudly as if scolding the dog for being there.
“What would be the consequences if we fetched the monkey down?” said the second-mate, laughing and watching the two animals.
“Bruff would kill him,” said Mark decidedly.
“He would have to catch him first, and the monkey is wonderfully strong. ”

“ The warmth of the sun and the wonders of the coral-reef beneath his eyes made Mark forget his troubles for a time, but he was recalled to his position by his sensations of hunger, a whine from Bruff, and an inquiring chatter from the monkey, who changed his position and sat up on one of the thwarts looking very skinny and miserable, his face wrinkled and puckered, and the appealing inquiring look in his eyes growing more intense. ”

“ For, in spite of their cramped positions, every soul on board was sleeping heavily, the men in the bottom of the boat forward making pillows of each other, the tired ladies clinging together in the stern, and the officers amidships—the extreme stern with its limited space having been left to Mark, Bruff, and the monkey. ”

“ It’s that master Vane put powder among the coals to play me a trick.”
“I didn’t,” cried Vane.
“Don’t say that, sir,” interposed Bruff, “why, I see the greenhouse chockfull o’ smoke as I come by.”
Vane had turned quite cold, and was staring at his uncle, while his uncle with his face full of chagrin and perplexity was staring at him.
“You’ve done it this time, my boy,” said the doctor, sadly.
“Is anybody killed?—is anybody killed?” cried Aunt Hannah from the hall. “I can’t come through the kitchen. My dear Vane! oh, do speak.”
“No one hurt,” shouted the doctor. “Come, Vane.” ”

“ We won’t begin by falling out again.”
He stooped down and patted Bruff, who blinked up at him, and gave his bushy tail two wags, after which he walked slowly to the tall officer and began to smell his legs.
“Stop: don’t do that!” cried Mark, as he saw the officer draw back as if to deliver a kick.
“Nay, don’t you kick him, Mr Gregory, sir,” said Widgeon. “If you do, he’ll take hold; and I know this here sort, you can’t get them off again without a knife.”
“Are you Mr Gregory?” said Mark.
“Yes, sir, I am; and what then?” cried the mate angrily. ”

“ A cinder flew out of the fire on to the strip of carpet lying across the hearth, and a pungent odour of burning wool arose. But Bruff stooped down and using his hardened fingers as tongs, picked up the cinder and tossed it inside the fender.
Martha started as the cinder flew out and looked aghast at Eliza, her ruddy face growing mottled, while the housemaid’s cheeks were waxen as the maids gave themselves up to the silly superstition that, like many more, does not die hard but absolutely refuses to die at all. ”

“ Just then Jack sprang out of the barrel chattering loudly, and bounded toward the main hatchway. Bruff followed as if understanding the call, and as the monkey sprang down the dog leaped after him, but did not descend the steps so cleverly as his quadrumanous friend, the fact being made plain to those on deck by a loud scratching and scuffling noise, followed by a heavy bump.
“That there’s the dog,” said Billy sitting up and scratching his ear. “His head’s too heavy for going down them steps nose fust. Think we can catch Jack now?” ”

“ I wish,” he added dolefully, “he would turn round here now.”
“You don’t think as the young master’s really drownded, do you?” said a voice behind, and Macey turned sharply, to find that Bruff had been listening to every word.
“No, I don’t,” he cried angrily; “and I’ll punch anybody’s head who says he is. I believe old Distie wishes he was.”
“You’re a donkey,” cried Distin, turning scarlet.
“Then keep away from my heels—I might kick. It makes me want to with everybody going along as cool as can be, as if on purpose, to fish the best chap I ever knew out of some black hole among the bushes.” ”

“ I stopped her there. I could control myself no longer.
"You have done me an infamous wrong!" I broke out hotly. "You suspect me of stealing your Diamond. I have a right to know, and I will know, the reason why!"
"Suspect you!" she exclaimed, her anger rising with mine. "You villain, I saw you take the diamond with my own eyes!"
The revelation which burst upon me in those words, the overthrow which they instantly accomplished of the whole view of the case on which Mr. Bruff had relied, struck me helpless. Innocent as I was, I stood before her in silence. ”

“ It was dreary work, and yet full of excitement, for the men toiled on with terrible energy, for there was the knowledge that though a great deal of cargo had been removed, the moans of the poor wretch were being heard less plainly.
It was Mr Morgan who now came to where Mark was seated, and he too began to pat and rub Bruff’s head.
“No, my lad,” he said, in answer to a question, “we can do no more than we are doing. If we got more hands at work they would be in each other’s way.” ”

“ They whistled and called, while, as if comprehending it all, the dog barked; but all was still, and in the hope of finding their hairy companion they now pressed steadily on, passing the tree laden still with a bright purple kind of berry, but there was no sign of Jack.
“He’ll return to savage life, safe,” said the major. “It is too much of a temptation to throw in his way. Why, Mark, if I were a monkey I think I should.”
“I don’t think he’d leave Bruff now,” replied Mark. “They’re such friends that they wouldn’t part, and I’m sure my dog wouldn’t go.” ”

“ Bluff was for dropping his gun and rushing out in the water to the assistance of his imperilled chum. It did his heart credit, this impulsiveness, but just then, no doubt, it was well that he had a comrade near by possessed of a cooler head, or there might soon have been a pair of them in the quicksand.
"Stop! None of that, Bluff!" said Frank, clutching him by the arm.
"But, look! The poor fellow will be drowned if we don't help him mighty fast!" expostulated the rash boy, struggling to break away. ”

“ The fire was speedily made, and, taking off his clothes, Bluff hugged close to the blaze while Will busied himself in hanging up the wet garments, though he had more or less difficulty in tearing his eyes away from the spot where his camera lay close by.
"Sometimes we get too much fire; then again we want more and more," remarked Bluff, as he kept turning around like a roast on the spit; for as fast as one side felt warm the other grew chilled.
"And I guess that we'd better be beating it back to camp as soon as your duds are decently dry. ”

“ Farmer Bluff declared himself heartily tired of it, adding in an injured way that no one knew what suffering was until they had tried gout.
The Squire shook his head. A man has no right to feel hardly done by when he deliberately chooses to bring pain upon himself. "I'm heartily tired of it, too," said he; "and the fact is, Bluff, I'm getting too far into years to be my own bailiff—and that's what it comes to nowadays. For these keepers and labourers of yours—well! I've no doubt you give your orders. A man might give his orders in the other hemisphere by telegram. ”

“ Hang this old fog! Why did it want to come up on our very first day, and before we had become used to our strange surroundings?"
"Well, we've got to just take things as we meet 'em, as Frank does. You notice that he seldom finds fault with the way things happen; just puts his shoulder to the wheel and lifts it out of the rut," remarked Bluff.
"Yes, I know that; but every fellow doesn't happen to be built just the same way. I wish I could take things as cool as he does; but I never even snap off a picture without feeling more or less excitement quivering my nerves." ”

“ They did it before, you remember, fellows," protested Bluff.
"I hope you don't think of cracking away at human beings the way you did at that big yellow dog, Bluff. Please don't get the habit; it's hard to break."
"Kindly refrain, Frank; or, as Pet would say, 'Aw, come off your perch!' I'm always willing to give any one of those fellows a good scare at any time, but you know I wouldn't want to hurt even Pet himself, unless he forced me," returned Bluff, quickly dropping the gun he had been fondling so affectionately. ”

“ To walk out beside Yvonne into the spotlight, to bow and scrape to the crowd, to kneel and strum, with these two looking on. . . . There was suddenly nothing in all the world he wanted less to do. He felt placed at a definite disadvantage. This fellow Bill—budding architect, Cecily had said—what would he think? What was he thinking now? "Probably looks on me as about one degree higher than a confounded chorus man!" . . . He could imagine Bill on the way home, upbraiding Cecily, saying of himself, Jock, "What do you see in a sap like that? Why, he doesn't amount to anything!" ”

“ With this we will fly."
"We will fly?" says Giglio.
"Yes, you and your bride—your affianced love—your Gruffy!" says the Countess, with a languishing leer.
"You my bride!" says Giglio. "You, you hideous old woman!"
"Oh, you—you wretch! didn't you give me this paper promising marriage?" cries Gruff.
"Get away, you old goose! I love Betsinda, and Betsinda only!" And in a fit of terror he ran from her as quickly as he could.
"He! he! he!" shrieks out Gruff: "a promise is a promise, if there are laws in Paflagonia! ”

“ Farmer Bluff laughed outright. "An inquest on a goose!" roared he. "Upon my soul, young master, you're an original; though, when you come to look at it, half the inquests are on geese. He! he!—" And he laughed again at his own wit.
But Hal was quite in earnest. To him there was nothing funny in it at all. "There always is a post-mortem," said he seriously, "when anybody dies without the doctor being able to tell the cause of death. I think that if I were you, I should like to know why that goose died. It might enable you to prevent any more of them dying the same way, you know. ”

“ And he did not see her as she scooped the jagged stone from the ground, thrust it into a tattered tool-pocket of her uniform.
Past the quiescent, sweat reeking bodies of the bull-muscled guards, into the dimly lit chamber beyond, Bruhlla half walking, half shambling before her.
She watched him as he switched the device into life; waited until its dull orange glow assured that it was ready for use. So much like the communications room of an ordinary ship of Earth, she thought. So like the familiar things of her life, yet so alien. ”

“ He don’t appear to hanker after the job, but to back out would put him on the blink with the crowd. There, Frank, he’s going to make the riffle, you see. Now, what?” panted Bluff, again seeking to rise, as he fumbled his gun nervously. 193
“There’s no need of our doing anything, after all,” remarked Frank.
“Then you mean to let ’em set the cabin on fire, and perhaps roast the poor hoboes before our very eyes?” exclaimed Bluff, in dismay.
“Not at all. I only mean that the job of frightening the bunch off is going to be taken out of our hands, for that wild man is coming back!” ”

“ When Bluff came fighting to the surface Frank was there. He avoided the frenzied clutch of the other, knowing how fatal such a thing would be. The only hope of saving Bluff was to catch him from behind. Then, if there was danger of his trying to wrap his arms about his would-be rescuer, even more desperate tactics must be employed to stop such a move, and in some cases it seems necessary to strike the drowning person over the head to make him desist. ”

“ Looking ahead, a night in the Big Woods did not appall him; being fond of adventure, Bluff might even welcome the experience for a change.
Being thrown on their own resources would bring out their ability to take care of themselves. Bluff was vain enough to want to show Frank he could be trusted when off in the timber, and get out of any tangle that might envelop them.
Perhaps when Jerry happened to feel the little package of food thrust into one of his pockets by thoughtful Frank, he no longer had that inclination to laugh. ”