She was the queerest craft in some ways
that ever I was aboard of. The food was a caution;
there was nothing fit to put your lips to but the
limejuice, which was from the end bin no doubt; it used
to make me sick to see the men's dinners, and sorry to
see my own. The old man was good enough, I guess.
Green was his name--a mild, fatherly old galoot. But
the hands were the lowest gang I ever handled, and
whenever I tried to knock a little spirit into them the
old man took their part. It was Gilbert and Sullivan
on the high seas; but you bet I wouldn't let any man
dictate to me. 'You give me your orders, Captain
Green,' I said, 'and you'll find I'll carry them out;
that's all you've got to say. You'll find I do my
duty,' I said; 'how I do it is my look-out, and there's
no man born that's going to give me lessons.' Well,
there was plenty dirt on board that MARIA first and
last. Of course the old man put my back up, and of
course he put up the crew's, and I had to regular fight
my way through every watch. The men got to hate me,
so's I would hear them grit their teeth when I came up.
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