When he come to his office
quarters he was 'bout up to my arms, red as a can-buoy, and white hair
stickin' up straight as a shoe-brush on his head. He looked cross enough
to bite a tenpenny nail in two.
"'Ran into the dock, did ye--ran into Her Majesty's dock, and ye had
room enough to turn a fleet in! Do you think we paint these docks for
the fun of havin' you lubbers scrape it off? You'll pay for paintin' it
over, sir--that's what you'll do, or I'll libel your boat, and send a
file of marines down and tie her up,' and away he went up the dock to
his office again.
"'Gosh!' I said to myself. 'Guess I'm in a fix,' The boys stood around
and heard every word, and I tell ye it warn't no joke. As to money,
there warn't a ten-dollar bill in the crew. I'd spent every cent I could
rake and scrape to fit the Screamer out, and the boys were workin' on
shares, and nobody was to get any money until the last stone--that big
twenty-one-ton feller--was 'board the brig. Then I could go to the
agents in Hamilton and draw two-thirds of my contract.
Pages:
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113