Explore "Red Lion and Blue Star, A Story of Two House-Flags" by John Arthur Barry on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
It is not putting it too strongly to say that the abduction of his house-flag cast not only a gloom over Captain Bolger's spirits, but over those of the ship's company as well. Any sailor worth his salt believes in his ship, and the Mary Johnson's crowd felt their defeat and disgrace more keenly than the bruises and cuts which smarted so sorely on their bodies.
-"We'll never have any luck," said Bolger, despondently, to his mate, "after letting a scowbank of a turnpike-sailor like that get to win'ard of us in such fashion. Why, cuss it, we'll be the laughin'-stock o' the Port o' London if the yarn gets about!"