The skipper did not often
speak to me, but when his eye lighted on me he gave an ugly sort
of look, as seemed to say, 'You'd better ha' gone down with the
others. You think you're going to report the loss of the smack, and
to get damages against the Potomac, do you? we shall see.' The crew
were a rough lot, but the spirit seemed taken out of 'em by the
treatment they met with. It was a word and a blow with the mates,
and they would think no more of catching up a handspike and stretching
a man senseless on the deck than I should of killing a fly. There
was two or three among 'em of a better sort than the others. The
best of 'em was the carpenter, an old Dutchman. 'Leetle boy,' he
used to say to me, 'you keep yourself out of the sight of de skipper.
Bad man dat. Me much surprise if you get to de end of dis voyage
all right. You best work vera hard and give him no excuse to hit
you. If he do, by gosh, he kill you, and put down in de log, Boy
killed by accident.'
"I felt that this was so myself, and I did my work as well as I
could. One day, however, when we were near the line I happened to
upset a bucket with some tar. The captain was standing close by.
"'You young dog,' he said, 'you've done that a purpose,' and before
I could speak he caught up the bucket by the handle and brought it
down on my head with all his might.
Pages:
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53