"describe the mens reaction when they saw the pride of the thomas ."

The narrator's reaction was as follows; the men thought it to be a thoughtless joke!

"My own idea, on first catching sight of the object, was that it was a Roman relic of some sort, — relic of what I do not know, possibly of a coffin."

Then, the men asked the boy what it really was;

"The boy said it was The Pride of the Thames.

We thought this a very humorous answer on the part of the boy at first, and somebody gave him twopence as a reward for his ready wit; but when he persisted in keeping up the joke, as we thought, too long, we got vexed with him."

"Come, come, my lad!" said our captain sharply, "don't let us have any nonsense. You take your mother's washing-tub home again, and bring us a boat."