Digital heart book

I've sailed with some hard cases in my time,
and seen pins flying like sand on a squally day--but
never a match to our old man. It never let up from the
Hook to the Farallones, and the last man was dropped
not sixteen hours ago. Packet rats our men were, and
as tough a crowd as ever sand-bagged a man's head in;
but they looked sick enough when the captain started in
with his fancy shooting."
"O, he's done up," observed the other. "He won't go to
sea no more."
"You make me tired," retorted his superior. "If he
gets ashore in one piece, and isn't lynched in the next
ten minutes, he'll do yet. The owners have a longer
memory than the public, they'll stand by him; they
don't find as smart a captain every day in the year."
"O, he's a son of a gun of a fine captain; there ain't
no doubt of that," concurred the other heartily. "Why,
I don't suppose there's been no wages paid aboard that
GLEANER for three trips."
"No wages?" I exclaimed, for I was still a novice in
maritime affairs.
"Not to sailor-men before the mast," agreed the mate.


Pages:
189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213