"And yet," said Smee, "I have often heard you say that hook was
worth a score of hands, for combing the hair and other homely
uses."

"Ay," the captain answered. "if I was a mother I would pray to
have my children born with this instead of that," and he cast a
look of pride upon his iron hand and one of scorn upon the other.
Then again he frowned.

"Peter flung my arm," he said, wincing, "to a crocodile that
happened to be passing by."