Captain Harte saluted the quarter-deck with a sketchy motion towards his hat and stared with elaborate disgust at the grubby sideboys, the marines with their crossbelts awry, the heap of water-butts and Mr Dalziel’s little fat meek cream-coloured bitch, that had come forward into the only open space, and that there, apologizing to one and all, her ears, and whole person drooping, was in the act of making an immeasurable pool.

Master and Commander – Patrick O’Brian