one of the sailors had gone over to the wall and rubbed it , before being sharply called back to his place by forthing : temeraire had overheard him say , `` real enough gold , it is , '' in a low voice to his fellows , so it was not merely brass-even though brass would have been almost equally marvelous ; temeraire would not have argued with anyone who had proposed to offer him such panels made of brass , for his pavilion .